Dogs are well loved pets. As such people tend to share whatever they eat with the dog unknowing that some human foods can be dangerous to dog. A pet owner would wonder why foods that give humans a lot of benefits would be harmful to dogs. Humans and dog have many genetic similarities but they are also different in a lot of ways. The inability of a dog’s system to tolerate chocolate is one of these differences. The toxic effect of chocolates on dogs is made more dangerous because a lot of dog owners are unaware of this fact. Humans get a lot of benefits from chocolates. Chocolates + dogs is an equation that can have dangerous results.

The substance theobromine that is found in chocolates is what makes this world’s most loved treat toxic to dogs. Theobromine, a chemical that is similar to caffeine is a naturally occurring substance found in cocoa beans. Theobromine is dangerous to dogs as it acts as stimulant that causes frequent urination, affects heart muscles and the kidneys and the central nervous system. These dangerous effects are caused by the dog’s inability to digest this substance. Because of the dog’s inability to digest the theobromine substance, continued consumption will cause an accumulation in the dog’s system until a variety of medical concerns happen because increased level of toxicity.

Dog owners can share the chocolate bar with the pet or allow the dog to have a slice of the Black Forest cake. Small amount of chocolate consumed by the dog would not show clinical signs of poisoning. Theobromine have dangerous effects but a dog has to ingest a substantial amount of chocolates before clinical signs of poisoning will be seen. The toxicity level would depend on the type of chocolate consumed. The toxicity level is much lower in white chocolates because this type of chocolate contains very little theobromine. Because of the low theobromine content, a dog has to consume 200 ounces of white chocolates before clinical signs of poisoning can be noticed. However, this is not so with milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate as it contains more of the dangerous theobromine chemical. The baking chocolate is the most dangerous ass it has the highest theobromine content. Dog owners don’t normally give the dog baking chocolate but knowing the voracious appetite of these animals, it is still possible for the dog to gorge on the dangerous food. If this happens, the dog must be taken to the vet’s at once. Find out more about what to do if your dog eats chocolate.

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