HELP. MY PUPPY ATE chocolates

[feminvstr]

Kim did you read the first part...I have given my dogs for 40 years CHOCOLATE !! I can safely say none died of chocolate poisoning.

one or two chocolate chips is not going to kill a yorkie, nor is it necessary to consult a vet on such minor consumption!

If you really think something is wrong the vet will give them charcoal to bind it and induce vomiting...I am telling you its not enough to be concerned about!

if your baby disgested anything that is not proper give them 1/4-1/2 tsp of hydrogen peroxide 3% with a syringe then give them bread with butter on it to digest the peroxide this will induce vomiting. If nothing happens in about 15 minutes then repeat the above...

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

It is also important not to give them anything "chocolate flavored" which would make them crave it or try to get into chocolate that is mistakenly left where they might find it since they have tastedit before and like it.

Chocolate is like poison to small breed dogs. Some who feed it to their dogs may be lucky, but why take the chance given the scientific evidence.

[feminvstr]

Originally Posted by SoCalyorkiLvr

I am appalled that you would give this advice so lightly without researching it.

Talk about what you know and have expereince in not what you read Kim! I have the experience and the knowledge first hand not by a book or something off the web!

what I find appalling is your above attack!

[red98vett]

Well...This isn't helping Molly being so alarming...She sounds nervous enough....If I were in her shoes and read these posts - I'd be freaking out. Let's try to help her not scare her worse.

[diva pup]

Every dog is not going to react the same to something bad he or she ingests. I can feed Mignon spicy tuna steak and she will never have a hint of diahrrea,Rio will poop water for days.
You didn't say how big your puppy was or how many choc chips she ate. that might be something you want to tell your vet when you call.
On a lighter note, my grammy fed her dobie a choc chip cookie a nite until her death at the age of 16.
If it were me I would just call your vet and ask them, if you think your dog ate something poisonous the person to ask first is your vet. Not the forum.

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by SoCalyorkiLvr

It is also important not to give them anything "chocolate flavored" which would make them crave it or try to get into chocolate that is mistakenly left where they might find it since they have tastedit before and like it.

Chocolate is like poison to small breed dogs. Some who feed it to their dogs may be lucky, but why take the chance given the scientific evidence.

Whether they've tasted it before or not - if something is left out - a yorkie WILL Get into it regardless of what they've had in the past -

Lucky for Molly her baby didn't eat all that much - there is no reason to make this a HUGE emergency and have the poor girl rushing to the vet over a cookie....A phone call would be just fine in this case....

[Marie]

I agreed with Villette, we should be trying to help Molly Not freak her out. Molly you read all the other comments, now make your own judgement. If you see your baby acting any differently I will say call your vet. IMO, if she only have a few small pieces most likely she will get diarrhea. I will say just watch her. If your are still not comfortable, call your vet to ease your mind. I hope your little one be fine.

[diva pup]

I just read all this thread and had no idea it had gotten heated. I hope i didnt make anyone mad but I am always reading health emergencies on here and as experienced as some are I do not feel like this should be the first place people go when addressing a serious health question. I am not talking about just this question. I have seen some REALLY bad advise given here and I think if you have a health concern you should call your vet. That is what you pay them for, they can answer a simple question over the phone. At least my vet can.

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

Originally Posted by feminvstr

Talk about what you know and have expereince in not what you read Kim! I have the experience and the knowledge first hand not by a book or something off the web!

what I find appalling is your above attack!

I was going on the assumption that you did not know the toxicity levels of chocolate to a 1 or 2 lb puppy before I posted the veterinary advice. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt.

If you are now claiming that you do not agree with the Veterinarian's scientific assertion of the toxicity levels of chocolate , and that this advice is somehow wrong then I am really concerned.

In my opinion, it is wrong to advise members to feed their yorkies any chocolate in light of the scientific evidence! It is poison.

[ritaman1]

Mine had gotten into chocolate when I first had her and I paniced. First of all nothing happened and then my next visit to the vet he told me it would have to be bakers chocolate and a good amount to affect the animal. Only you know if your animal is acting differently.

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by SoCalyorkiLvr

I was going on the assumption that you did not know the toxicity levels of chocolate to a 1 or 2 lb puppy before I posted the veterinary advice. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt.

If you are now claiming that you do not agree with the Veterinarian's scientific assertion of the toxicity levels of chocolate , and that this advice is somehow wrong then I am really concerned.

In my opinion, it is wrong to advise members to feed their yorkies any chocolate in light of the scientific evidence! It is poison.

I didn't see where anyone ADVISED people to feed their yorkies chocolate ...

Saying it's POISEN in big screaming letters over a cookie is just going a bit too far....I think this is more about you being right and in this case it's probably scaring Molly so bad she's probably flying to the vet as we type...It was a COOKIE not a whole candy bar ....There are different types of chocolate that are toxic and honestly this has become bigger than it needed to be.

Molly - I hope and think your puppy will be just fine !

[Lise]

Originally Posted by molly

I saw my baby this morning, she was ablt to open a packet of "chips ahoy" . I think she was able to eat some. I know chocolate is bad for puppy's. How bad is it? I called the vet this morning but she wont be there until 8:30. I am really concern. What are the possibility of happening when a puppy ate chocolate? Please HELP

Molly ....
Don't know if it will do good for your puppy, but it happened to my Shado when she was 10 weeks old. (same kind of cookies ) and like you, I became so scared of losing her that I couldn't stop crying.

My daughter's friend is a vet. I called her and she told me "if it just happened" to give her a few drops ( 1 or 2 ) of PEROXIDE to provoque vomitting. and IT WORKED thanks to her.

Truly hope your baby turns out to feel better.
Lise

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

Here is another expert's advice on the danger of chocolate to dogs:http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_211.html

A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's storehouse of human knowledge

Is chocolate toxic to dogs?
01-Dec-1995

Dear Cecil:

Many people have tried to convince me chocolate is toxic to dogs. I even heard a news report warning people to keep dogs out of the Halloween candy for that reason. However, my four dogs have stolen chocolate cakes, pies, and candy bars without ill effects. What gives? --Jason Eshleman, Berkeley, California

Dear Jason:

Either you're in serious denial--the mutts, they moved much lately?--or you and they got lucky. Chocolate is the third most common cause of poisoning in dogs. Certain chemicals in chocolate, notably caffeine and theobromine, can cause erratic heartbeat and in large enough doses can kill your pup. While you're getting used to that idea, consider this: the second most common cause of canine poisoning (after rat and mouse poison) is ibuprofen, the well-known pain reliever. Dogs apparently love the smell and taste, so they chew through the bottles, eat the contents, vomit their guts out, and die. ODing on chocolate and Advil might seem nutty to us, but it's pretty serious to the dogs.SICK OF CHOCOLATE

Dear Cecil:

I was intrigued by your column on chocolate poisoning in dogs, but don't you think we have an overeating problem here rather than one of poisoning per se? You mention a toxic threshold of two ounces of milk chocolate per kilo of body weight. For my Jenny, who weighs 20 kilos (44 pounds), that's 40 ounces of chocolate! Let's put the issue in human terms. I'm a big boy at 100 kilos. If I ate 200 ounces (12.5 pounds) I think I'd get mighty sick, and I don't think we could blame it on the chocolate.

By the way, what the hell is theobromine and what does it do? --Roger Strukhoff, via the Internet

Cecil replies:

You ever watch your dog eat? Dogs will make pigs of themselves if they get unlimited access to a food they like. Vets at the National Animal Poison Control Center say it's not uncommon for a 10- to 15-pound dog to eat a pound of chocolate, wrappings and all. The bigger breeds, proportionally speaking, are almost as bad.

It's true that at extreme doses the sheer volume of fatty food can cause problems such as pancreatitis, which is often the culprit when a dog gets sick after eating garbage. But chocolate alone is plenty toxic. This is more apparent in the concentrated forms of chocolate. I cited the toxic threshold for milk chocolate because, being sweet, it's what dogs gorge on most often. But where milk chocolate contains 65 milligrams of caffeine and theobromine per ounce, semisweet chocolate contains 165 milligrams and baking chocolate has 300 to 400. A dog who eats a package of baking chocolate isn't necessarily overeating but could still wind up dead.

Theobromine is one of a class of chemical compounds called methylxanthines, which also include caffeine and theophylline (found in tea). They're all stimulants and not good for your pooch (or for you, for that matter) in excess.

--CECIL ADAMS

[feminvstr]

MY GOD KIM

STOP panicing people! Your stats are impressive when theyre called for!

[Carters Mom]

I found this link to chocolate and dogs. I read through it pretty quickly and I think the approach is not one of causing panic but one of information and calm reaction.

http://www.petplace.com/Articles/artShow.asp?ArtId=602

Even if your pet doesn’t eat enough chocolate to induce toxicity, the candy’s high fat content may cause him to vomit or have diarrhea at much smaller amounts than those shown. If that happens, watch him carefully. If his symptoms don’t clear up within eight hours, call your veterinarian (if your pet is very small or young, call within four hours); aside from toxicity issues, you don’t want the animal to dehydrate. Try to be as precise as you can about the type of chocolate the animal ate, how much he took and approximately when he ate it.

The sooner you get help, the better off your pet will be. If the animal is showing signs of toxicity, he has a good prognosis if he’s treated within four to six hours of ingestion. The effects of the chocolate can linger for 12 to 36 hours, though, so your pet may require hospitalization.

I don't think anyone needs to get all panic-stricken. It doesn't do anyone any good -- not the dog, not the owner. In an emergency, who does you more good? The person that is calm and helps to calm you down or the excited person that is screaming for help and to hurry?