Should we keep sweet treats out of his reach?
Our vet David Grant works his animal magic
MY four-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier begs whenever anyone is eating sweets or chocolate. I have heard they are bad for dogs. Is this true? I WOULDN’T recommend sweets for dogs as they will accelerate tooth decay.
But chocolates are potentially very harmful and it’s important to get this message across to the whole family.
While types of chocolate may vary in their danger, if your dog helps himself to a whole box or an Easter egg it’s best to get him to the vet right away.
The most harmful type is dark chocolate, along with cocoa beans and powder, because it contains high levels of theobromine. This is toxic to dogs.
White chocolate contains lower levels of theobromine and is therefore less likely to cause damage.
But if too much is consumed problems can still occur. Chocolate can cause widespread harm to the gastrointestinal system, brain and heart.
The cases of chocolate TOXIC: Chocolate is very harmful to dogs poisoning I have seen have been most commonly in young greedy dogs. The signs are restlessness and overactivity with vomiting and diarrhoea. There is usually a very fast pulse rate due to the effects of theobromine on the dog’s heart. Making the dog vomit, especially if caught early, is important. Intravenous fluids are beneficial and severe cases may need their stomachs pumped. David Grant MBE was a vet at the RSPCA Harmsworth Hospital for Animals. Write to him at Express Yourself, 10 Lower Thames St, London EC3R 6EN. He is unable to enter into individual correspondence.