THE DANGER OF THE CHOCOLATE

As Easter approaches and with her it increases the chocolate consumption, I want to do a serious warning.

To eat chocolate can be fatal for a dog, depending on the size of the animal,da amount and of the type that he to ingest.

Although the chocolate can be so pleasant and inviting for the dogs as for their owners, he contains a substance known as theobromine, a bitter alkaloid related with the caffeine, that can have dangerous effects in the animal.

A small dog, weighing from 5 to 20 Kilos, he/she can die for ingesting from 50 to 200 grams of chocolate to the milk, while that 6 to 20 grams of the chocolate without fat, it can be fatal for an animal of the same size.

The big dogs are capable to tolerate larger amounts, but the safest rule is out the one of maintaining every chocolate of the reach of his/her dog. There are cases of the dog suddenly to get sick, without anybody to know him/it because. Who would suspect of something as wonderful as the chocolate?

But, he is the criminal and if the help be not made immediately, the animal can die. The symptoms of that intoxication appear hours after the ingestion and they are similar to those that accompany a lot of infections intestinal gastro, including vomits, diarrhea, hiperitividade, heavy breathing, accelerated rhythm in the heart beat, muscular tremors, accesses, disturbances in the bladder control and to the coma.

The speed with that the veterinary treatment be sought is fundamental, being able to this professional to be capable to provoke vomit to impede the absorption theobromine massiva or to remove the toxin of the organism of the animal through other forms that he has knowledge.

To choose the foods well for his/her dog is to have certainty that he will always be healthy. Remember that in hypothesis any, they should be stimulated in him habits of eating with their owners, because he has specific needs in his/her diet. Besides, it doesn't exist more unpleasant than an animal that is begging for food to the table.

Vininha F. Carvalho
Extracted of the site www.Kennelcub.com.Br
kindly given in by Vininha - Vice president of 
the League of Prevention the Cruelty Against the Animal.