PETE WEDDERBURN Animal Doctor
the best veterinary care, many patients don’t survive.
The risk of chocolate to dogs is now widely known, but there are still misunderstandings about it. There is no need to rush a dog to the vet if someone accidentally gives them a small piece of chocolate egg. Instead, if you are unsure, make an estimate of how many grams of chocolate have been eaten, find out the dog’s weight, and look at the guideline figures I’ve given above. If you are still unsure, then just phone the on-duty vet: they will be able to give you the safest advice.
In the past, because a low dose of chocolate for a big dog is harmless, I used to think that there was no harm in giving an occasional crumb of chocolate to a dog. I’ve changed my mind for a simple reason: by giving small amounts of chocolate to a dog, you teach them to love the taste. And when they have learned to love the taste of chocolate, they will do almost anything to get hold of it.
Nearly all the cases of chocolate poisoning that I have seen have happened when dogs have managed to steal chocolate.
In our own household, I’ve had two crises, both involving dogs stealing chocolate.
One one occasion, a gift wrapped box of chocolates had been left on the kitchen table. Our terrier, left unattended for ten minutes, negotiated a series of chairs like a makeshift ladder, grabbed the box, unwrapped it and tucked into the chocolates.
On another occasion, we were having an Easter Egg hunt in the garden for the children. One of our dogs sneaked out before the children, and by the time we all went out, she’d managed to find and scoff two of the eggs.
I believe that if the two dogs had never learned to like chocolate in the first place, there’s a chance that they might not have been so keen to grab the stash.
In summary, there are three Easter messages for dog owners.
First, no chocolate treats at all for dogs: even though they may not get poisoned, they’ll learn to love chocolate, which is a bad idea. Second, lock up all chocolate if dogs are around: nearly all cases of chocolate poisoning happen after dogs steal a stash.
And third, if your dog eats a dangerous amount of chocolate, go straight to the vet: if you delay at all, you’re putting your pet’s life at risk. Have a happy and safe Easter everyone!