I know there is a cat/dog category but more people seem to read this and that's what I need right now. Here goes. We have a 95 lb. flat-coated retriever. I know, he's overweight. Just to the vet last week and all was normal. 10yo. The dog will eat anything that falls on the floor. I was outside and daughter was in the house w/ my 5yo son. Apparently, he tried to climb up on the counters and then knocked over an entire bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. (BJ's sized). Though the bag was only about half full at the time. I walked in the door to see daughter on hte phone(this is where I"m FURIOUS) while seeing the dog in the bag of chips on the floor. I yank him away as soon as I saw. this happened late this afternoon, after school some time. He has thrown up 3 times so far a good amount. All chocolate. Now, he's eaten chocolate before. Christmas Disaster of 2000 was one that comes to mind. But this time I'm very worried. Any advice or suggestions on what to do. He's eaten chocolate before and quite an amount in the past. I know kidneys shut down. I'm tempted to take him to the vet tomorrow. Will definitely call first thing in the morning but wanted to see if any of you knew or had experience w/ this. He's drank water and we're keeping him still. Just fustrated as this totally could have been avoided w/ a little common sense. Thanks, so much. Concerned, stephanie--mom to 7
Copied from http://www.monmouth.army.mil/monmessg/newmonmsg/mar172006/m11dogs.htm Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg per ounce of chocolate. The toxic dose is 0.3 ounces of semisweet chocolate per pound of body weight. One-third of a pound of sweet chocolate is toxic to a 20-pound dog; 1/6 of pound for a 10-pound dog. How is chocolate toxicity treated?If you suspect that your pet has eaten chocolate (more than the stray chocolate chip that fell on the floor), call your veterinarian for advice. The toxicity of theobromine is dose dependent. This means that the size of your pet, the type of chocolate, and quantity of chocolate determine if or how toxic it is for your pet. There is no specific antidote for theobromine toxicity. Medical treatments are supportive, and may include all or some of the following: * IV fluids - to prevent dehydration from vomiting, diarrhea, and /or increased urination, and to "flush" the theobromine out of the system. * Emetics - medications that induce vomiting. Used when the ingestion of chocolate is within four hours. Up to eight hours post chocolate ingestion may be effective. * Activated charcoal - for ingestion greater than four hours prior to treatment, or for patients that show continued signs of toxicity. * Anti-seizure medications - for patients having seizures and/or muscle tremors. * Cardiac medications - for patients exhibiting irregular heart rates or rhythms. What is the prognosis for chocolate toxicosis? The expected course of chocolate toxicosis is 12 to 36 hours depending on the dosage and effectiveness of treatment. Prognosis is good if the chocolate is removed within two to four hours of ingestion. Prognosis is guarded in animals with advanced signs such as seizures and serious heart dysfunction. A National Animal Poison Control Center Hotline is available at 1-800-548-2423. There is a modest fee for the service to support the Animal Poison Control Center.
Our dog ate a bag of chocolate eggs (left over from Easter) wrapper and all about a week ago. This site was very helpful to me and helped calm my nerves. (she's a 50+ lbs., 8 years old, and did not vomit or have many of the symptoms.) Hopefully, this site will help you and not make you worry more? http://www.dogownersdigest.com/news/library/chocolate-dog-poisoning.shtml
Dog and Chocolate Hey.. our schnauzer ate quite a few three muskateer bars ...including the papers.. the emergency vet recommended that we pour peroxide down her throat to make her throw up.... we kept pouring it down her throat until she stopped throwing up chocolate... provided water afterwords .. she laid around that night but the next day she was back to normal...
Our Sheltie ate a whole bunch of kisses once, but she unwrapped them first:lol:...............we got the same advice. Take the dog outside though. :ack:
PLEASE don't pour anything down your dogs throat! If 1/3 of a pound it toxic to a 20lb dog, take into consideration his weight. If he is throwing up, the amount he ingested will be decreased. For the chocolate to be toxic, it had to move through his system. The toxin can't make it through his system if he has been throwing up. However, if he started puking 2-4 hours after ingestion, vomiting could be related to another complication. If it has been over 12 hours, whatever toxins are in his system will have to pass through. Once absorbed into the digestive tract, induced vomiting can exacerbate the issue (dehydration). Being several hours have passed, I would contact a vet before doing so. Emergency vet in Angier All Walks of Life Mobile Veterinary Services Inc (910) 892-7843 Angier, NC 27501
We had a vet recommend the peroxide thing but it has to be new, fresh stuff to work! I agree though...I wouldn't do it! I would be at the vet.
My vet recommended peroxide when my Cairn terrier ate one of my antidepressant pills. But the dosage was one (1) teaspoon of peroxide and wait x minutes for vomiting. (Long time ago - can't remember how long to wait. 15 minutes maybe?) Then another tsp of peroxide and wait x minutes. Dog threw up after the second dose. And continued to throw up repeatedly for the next hour. (I put her in the bathtub.) Vet said to bring her in the next morning, which I did - and she was still pretty sick to her stomach and he treated her nausea. But at least she was safe. But I think Misunderstood M has the best advice. GO TO THE VET!!
Thanks everyone. Will call first thing in the morning. He threw up 4 big amounts. Since then, just thrown up a little tiny bit. His nervous but no heart palpitations. You can tell he feels bad. Wants outside alot and after the living room rug is now ruined, dont mind if he's outside. I think he'll be fine. we have a can't miss genetics appt. bright and early but still will talk to vet right before we leave and have my neighbor check in. Pretty sure we're in the clear now but still not a nice thing to go though. I've never heard of the peroxide thing and frankly, I couldn't do it. (I'd make my vet if they suggested it). I'm squirmish that way. Again, thanks for all the advice and I think Bear will be good to go by tomorrow afternoon. I'm told after this round, it is then diarrhea in the dog. Lovely. And I thought kids were messy--LOL. If you all only knew half the things this dog has eaten over the years. Yet, some chocolate chips have really thrown him for a loop. I'll update tomorrow. He's barking right now at midnight so he must be feeling better! He was whining earlier andjust not himself. Now, he's wagging the tail again so I think we are getting over the "worry" part for now. Stephanie
Back from it all. Bear spent all day at the vet. He's not allowed to eat today and they gave him anti-nausea medicine. It will take a few days for him to be back to normal. We have 2 differnet kinds of medicine to give him and babyfood. He will make a full recovery. Thanks for all the advice. These dogs really do become members of the family and hard to see them when they are not well. Take care, Stephanie--mom to 7
Muffin ate an entire bag of boxed junior mints. THrew up for hours. smelled funky too. called three vets ..one finally said if she is vomitting - don't sweat it as long as she acts fine. muffin will eat anything not nailed down.
