Chocolate Poisoning

lqcorsa · 04-08-2007, 01:22 AM

Hey.

I'm posting because I'm somewhat concerned about an accidental, possible chocolate poisoning.

About an hour ago I walked through the door, only to see multiple vomit stains on the carpet, chocolate wrappers sprawled out, and 2 pups, reeking of chocolate.

A little about the dogs.

I have a female, 2 year old Pug, who weighs about 19 lbs.
I also have a male, 1 year old miniature schnauzer, I'm not sure what his weight is.

Both the dogs eat very healthy, natural dry food, bought from a granary.

After investigating the scenario, my guess is Benjamin (the miniature schnauzer) ripped open the bag of peanut butter cups, based on the fact he chews up everything, and my pug joined in after it was already open.

The net weight of the bag said 14 ounces, but over half of that was peanut butter, hints it being peanut butter cups. I read that the dog can really only be poisoned, if they eat their body weight in ounces, and I'm pretty sure they didn't eat that much.

I am concerned about my pug though. She appears to be very sick, and she's just been sitting at my feet with her tail totally un-curled. She vomited once since I've been home, and urinated once. I filled up her water dish to the rim (it's a very big water dish) and there wasn't a single drop left when I got home which was about 4 hours later. She also has barely stopped drinking since I re-filled it, and her stomach looks bloated. She's also been burping a lot.

The miniature schnauzer appears exactly the same, despite chocolate stains on the fur around his mouth, and I'm not worried about him at all.

My dog just seems tired, and sick. Their isn't any frequence urination, or hyperactive activity. She also doesn't have diarrhea.

Do you think these are just normal upset stomach symptoms for my pug, or do you think it's concerning?

Please reply as soon as possible!

cshellenberger · 04-08-2007, 01:24 AM

Get your dogs to the ER NOW!!!!!!! This is very serious and the dogs need IV treatment and charcoal unless you want to lose them! Chocolate shuts down the kidneys.

lqcorsa · 04-08-2007, 01:31 AM

Ok I'm somewhat scared, I'm only 15 and I'm home alone. I'll see what I can do. Thanks.

cshellenberger · 04-08-2007, 01:35 AM

Call your parents and tell them what has happened. Your dog needs an Emergency vet and time is of the essence. In the mean time, see if you can get the pug to drink LOTS of water. Use a syringe if nessesary, but get water into her. That will help to flush the kidneys. Call poisen control http://www.apogeecomgrp.com/drkevin/chocolate.html

lqcorsa · 04-08-2007, 01:39 AM

Ok I have and were going in to the Vet when a ride gets here. She just threw up again.

Thankyou cshellenberger, if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have taken her in.

cshellenberger · 04-08-2007, 01:42 AM

No problem, please let us know how things turn out. I'm a Pug mommy too.

lqcorsa · 04-08-2007, 01:56 AM

Actually my mom insists we "watch over her" for a little while. I'm enraged were not taking her in immediately.

cshellenberger · 04-08-2007, 02:07 AM

Show your mom the link I gave you, print it out if needed.

lqcorsa · 04-08-2007, 02:08 AM

I did. But to her your just "somebody online". She claims she's gonna try to find a Pet ER now.

cshellenberger · 04-08-2007, 02:21 AM

I understand her caution, I have daughters your age too. I really hope she take the pup to the vet soon.

lqcorsa · 04-08-2007, 06:03 AM

For the record, I'm a guy

We took them in at about 12:15 AM, waited until about 2 AM before the doctor came to see us, and gave us the verdict.

First of all, the only problems that are caused with chocolate poisoning, come with the heart, and pancreas. Not once were the kidneys mentioned, and their weren't any IV's or charcoal involved.

Instead of giving them plenty of water, the doctor told us to limit the water to help reduce vomiting.

Basically they gave them an injection to keep them from vomiting, and we were instructed to feed them a very blank diet (rice, potato's etc...) Then we need to watch over them, and if they should be doing better in the morning.

Basically we weren't going to "lose them" if we didn't take them to the ER right away, in fact, we could have kept them at the house and just watched over them closely.

So far everyone I've talked to agrees what you said about their kidneys failing and such, is very reckless and faulty.

Thanks for the help either way.

Lorina · 04-08-2007, 07:14 AM

Milk chocolate isn't as dangerous as dark chocolate or baker's chocolate, but it could still make your dog very ill. Since it was peanut butter cups, there wasn't as much chocolate as if it were solid chocolate.

Still, if they were my pups, I'd have taken them to the e-vet, too. I'd much rather spend extra money for peace of mind than wake up the next day to very sick pups who couldn't be helped.

Ginny01OT · 04-08-2007, 07:19 AM

Chocolate can be deadly to dogs. The amount of chocolate consumed along with the dogs body weight along with the type of chocolate consumed are all factors that must be taken into consideration. Unsweetened chocolate (bakers chocolate) is the most lethal. Then it goes milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate (the safest). Theobromine is the culprit in chocolate that can really hurt a dog; however, chocolate does also contain caffeine which is also a no-no for dogs.

Quick Guide for Theobromine levels in different types of chocolate:
From The Merck Veterinary Manual, 8th ed

Unsweetened (Baker's) chocolate = 390-450 mg Theobromine per oz chocolate
Milk chocolate = 44-60 mg Theobromine per oz chocolate
Semi-sweet is a bit less than half of the Theobromine content as Baker's chocolate.
How much is too much?
The toxic dose of Theobromine (and caffeine) for pets is 100-200mg/kg. (1 kiliogram = 2.2 pounds). However, various reports by the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) have noted problems at doses much lower than this - i.e. 20mg/kg.

Translated to a "typical" scenario, and using the 20mg/kg as a measure of "problems can be seen at this level of ingestion", a 50 pound dog would have to consume 9 ounces (+/-) of milk chocolate to consume the 20mg/kg amount of Theobromine. Some dogs won't see problems at this rate. Some may.

This is a much more conservative toxic level calculation than the "standard" of 100-200mg/kg, but better safe than sorry. A dog sneaking a couple M&M's shouldn't have a problem, but it isn't a good habit to get into!

What are the signs of toxicity?
Signs are most commonly seen within 12 hours (or less) of chocolate ingestion.

Excitement / nervousness / trembling
Vomiting / diarrhea
Excessive thirst / sometimes excessive urination (at higher levels of Theobromine toxicity)
Muscle spasms
Seizures
Coma (rare
Death (rare) -- likely due to heart rhythm abnormalities.
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 treatmentis 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 4 hours. Up to 6-8 hours post chocolate ingestion may be effective.
Activated charcoal - for ingestion greater than 4 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.
Why isn't chocolate toxic to humans?
Humans can break down and excrete Theobromine much more efficiently than dogs. The half life of Theobromine in the dog is long; approximately 17.5 hours

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/nutr...latetoxici.htm

RonE · 04-08-2007, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lqcorsa

Instead of giving them plenty of water, the doctor told us to limit the water to help reduce vomiting.

Basically they gave them an injection to keep them from vomiting

Basically we weren't going to "lose them" if we didn't take them to the ER right away, in fact, we could have kept them at the house and just watched over them closely.

So far everyone I've talked to agrees what you said about their kidneys failing and such, is very reckless and faulty.

I guess no good deed goes unpunished.

I'm glad your dogs are going to be okay, but Carla's advice was neither reckless nor faulty.

A dog with suspected chocolate poisoning needs to get to a vet within two hours, and the sooner, the better. Sometimes they will administer activated charcoal to prevent some of the toxins from being absorbed and often then will induce vomiting, if it's done quickly enough.

If the vet decides it was not chocolate poisoning, he will treat it as any other sort of severe tummy upset and try to control any vomiting and diarrhea. This will often be the case with milk chocolate, as opposed to dark chocolate.

If they had chocolate poisoning, it wouldn't make any practical difference whether it affected the kidneys or the heart. "Wait and see" could very likely mean "dead dog."

cshellenberger · 04-08-2007, 11:04 AM

You know, I took your problem seriously, however you now sound a bit trollish. Most of the info I gave was correct. I got the symptoms of chocolate and Grape poisening mixed up Easy to do at 12:30 AM. Next time you wish to troll, go elsewhere.

Nagem · 04-08-2007, 11:13 AM

I don't think it is ever reckless or faulty to recommend someone take their pet to the vet if they are concerned about its health.
Would it be reckless to tell someone to take their child to the hospital if they thought it had consumed something that could result in death?
If you don't feel it was worth it that is one thing, but don't criticize someone else who was merely trying to help. The advice you received was valid, as well as the possible consequences.

luv4gsds · 04-08-2007, 11:41 AM

Here you go cshellenberger.
You came here asking for advise and you were given good advice. You did not have to spit in the faces so to speak. I for one think your last post was very distasteful.

lqcorsa · 04-08-2007, 11:58 AM

I didn't think of myself as criticizing what cshellenberger said, I was simply giving out the humble opinion of the veterinarians, which probably could be used in these forums.

I don't think that saying something like:

Quote:

This is very serious and the dogs need IV treatment and charcoal unless you want to lose them! Chocolate shuts down the kidneys.

is valid though. It specifically says they need IV treatment, along with 'chocolate shuts down the kidneys'. I didn't see/hear any of that from the vet, and considering the physical behavior of the vets/dogs, I don't think we were at risk of "losing them". If cshellenberger got the symptoms of grape and chocolate poisoning mixed up, it isn't valid to tell me my dogs are going to die if they don't get to the E.R.

Further replies aren't needed. Thanks again.

cshellenberger · 04-08-2007, 12:14 PM

Read the info from the Vet site posted above.

Quote:

There is no specific antidote for Theobromine toxicity. Medical treatmentis 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 4 hours. Up to 6-8 hours post chocolate ingestion may be effective.
Activated charcoal - for ingestion greater than 4 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

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/nutr...latetoxici.htm
Today 05:14 AM

The info I gave was correct.

Lorina · 04-08-2007, 12:25 PM

Caffeine, which is in chocolate, can shut down a dog's kidneys. Perhaps the quantity and type of chocolate consumed wasn't enough to do major harm to your particular dogs, but dogs can and do die from eating chocolate, and getting them to a vet was the right thing to do. You were lucky this time.

If you want the advice of a vet, call a vet. If you want peer-to-peer advice from people with personal experience and knowledge, ask dogforums.com. AFAIK, the closest to a vet you'll find here are some vet techs and other animal professionals who volunteer their time to help others.