HELP. MY PUPPY ATE chocolates
 

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

I think it is dark choclate or bakers choclate that is really bad....if she had a few pieces of chips ahopy I think she will be okay but maybe with some diarheaa...I would keep an eye out for any odd behaviour and ask the vets opinion!!

How much do u think she ate? How old is the puppy? I am unsure of the amount the puppy has to eat for it to be toxic...But from what I recall it has to be ALOT...I would take her to the vet anyway...

if it was just a little nothing to worry about! They have to consume quite a bit to get sick. Might have a bit of a runny stool from it tho.

I think she ate 1 to 2 piece of it. I am really worries

[QUOTE=molly]I think she ate 1 to 2 piece of it. I am really worried./QUOTE]
She is 15 weeks old

one or two chocolate chips is nothing to worry about!

I agree -- My chow chow used to eat chocolate chip cookies EVERYDAY of her 13 year life!! I know its a different breed, but she was TOTALLY 100% healthy...

If you are still very worried just take her to the vet

Good Luck!!

Fran

I don't want to scare you but it really doesn't take much chocolate at all to seriously harm a small yorkie. It goes by weight. If a big lab ate one ounce of chocolate it wouldn't do much, but if a 2 lb yorkie ate an ounce, it could be very bad, especially if it is dark chocolate or baker's chocolate. Milk chocolate is less hazardous but is still very bad because it takes 1 ounce per lb of body weight for it to be bad and the dark chocolate, it only takes one third of an oz per lb of body weight. I would get your dog to the emergency vet immediately or call and follow their instructions for making him throw up.

This is from the Petsmart.com website:

Chocolate
Toxicity
In Dogs

We've all heard it, "Don't give your dog chocolate it will kill him". We'll how true is it you're probably wondering. Do I have to rush him to an emergency vet if he ate one of my M&M's?

The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. This is a xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine, and theophylline.

Toxic Levels

The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider like the individual sensitivity, animal size and chocolate concentration.

On average,
Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per oz.
Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz.
Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz.

Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as:
1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate.

So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems.

Clinical Signs

Xanthines affect the nervous system, cardiovascular system and peripheral nerves. It has a diuretic effect as well. Clinical signs:

Hyper excitability
Hyper irritability
Increased heart rate
Restlessness
Increased urination
Muscle tremors
Vomiting
Diarrhea

Treatment

There is no specific antidote for this poisoning. And the half life of the toxin is 17.5 hours in dogs. Induce vomiting in the first 1-2 hours if the quantity is unknown. Administering activated charcoal may inhibit absorption of the toxin. An anticonvulsant might be indicated if neurological signs are present and needs to be controlled. Oxygen therapy, intravenous medications, and fluids might be needed to protect the heart.

Milk chocolate will often cause diarrhea 12-24 hours after ingestion. This should be treated symptomatically (fluids, etc..) to prevent dehydration.

If you suspect your pet has ingested chocolate contact your Vet immediately! They can help you determine the the proper treatment for your pet

Hope you dog is fine! I know that rasins, grapes and onions are also toxic to them!

If your baby only ate 1-2 cookies she should be fine - It's the dark chocolate that is very bad and it really does have to be a good amount ...I would CALL your vet - then go from there and see how she does -

She picked some good cookies - I love chocolate chip :) Good luck and give your vet a call and see what they say.....

Kim lighten up! not everything is an extreme emergency! A small amout of chocolate IS NOT going to hurt the dog!

I have fed chocolate to all my dogs may times (yes I said fed) and guess what they are all still alive! Yikes I have also given them cookies with rasins in them and havent killed a one yet!

Okay... this is just BAD advice...plain and simple!

Please don't tell me to "lighten up" on an issue this important!!

Read what it says!!!

A 1 lb yorkie puppy only has to ingest one ninth of an oz of chocolate for it to be a "toxic dose"!! That a couple of chocolate chips!

You cannot compare the toxicity level of raisins to chocolate!

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

OK...You're making me confess - mine eat chocolate ice cream....maybe 2-4 licks off the spoon.....they love it - and I think they've had bites of cookies too ...my hubby is worse than me about feeding them stuff but it's only VERY SMALL bites - I just felt the need to come on here and spill the beans so Molly feels better :)

IF the yorkie ate the whole bag - then I would consider it an emergency but a few bites won't hurt them - the chips are VERY Small in those cookies.

It doesn't have to be a "good amount". A very very small piece is all it takes. WE all need to take the potential for chocolate poisoning for our babies seriously! They are tiny dogs and it doesn't take much at all.

I am sorry to be harsh and blunt but if it saves one life then it is worth it.

DO NOT FEED YOUR YORKIES CHOCOLATE!!!!

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...

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.

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!

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.

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.

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....

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.

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.

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.

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 !

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

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

MY GOD KIM

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

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

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?