A toxic treat for pets
| Published: 21st February 2008 14:46 |
There's no better way to spend the Easter break than curling up on the sofa and tucking into a giant chocolate Easter egg. But those of us with pets know that before long a huge pair of hopeful brown eyes will be staring up at you waiting for a tiny morsel to fall on to the floor. Slowly you find yourself caving in and break off a small piece, thinking "that won't do any harm".
No matter how small the portion, feeding any of your pets chocolate is akin to poisoning them says UK veterinary charity the People's Dispensary of Sick Animals (PDSA). Not only can chocolate make all pets very sick relatively quickly; it can even kill them.
Most of us are aware that chocolate is poisonous to dogs but not as many of us realise that all pets are affected by the toxic treats. Large amounts of chocolate poisons dogs and other pets including hamsters and rats due to the toxic effects of theobromine - one of its components. The effects of chocolate poisoning in dogs usually appear within four to 24 hours of ingestion and can last as long as 72 hours.
Luckily the symptoms of chocolate toxicity are quite easy to spot and include vomiting, abdominal tenderness, hyperactivity, salivation and increased heart rate - although sometimes a slower heart rate. In severe cases there are fits, increased rate of breathing, and heartbeat irregularities. In very rare cases the pet will die from the toxicity. If your pet accidentally ingests some chocolate you should seek veterinary care immediately.
The toxicity of chocolate varies greatly: some contains more theobromine than other types. On average, plain chocolate can contain approximately 500 to 1,000 times more theobromine than white chocolate. A particularly bad culprit is cocoa powder. It can contain about six times more theobromine than plain chocolate - as does cocoa shell mulch, a particular favourite with gardeners.
PDSA senior veterinary surgeon Elaine Pendlebury says: "Easter and chocolate go hand in hand. But where pets are concerned, people should avoid feeding it to them. Not only is there the issue of chocolate toxicity for dogs and many other pets, but it is also worth bearing in mind that the high sugar content of chocolate won't do anything for you pet's waistline or teeth either."
The veterinary charity is also warning pets owners who may be planning a spot of gardening over the Easter break, to be wary of using cocoa shell mulches, which also contain high theobromine quantities and if eaten can be highly dangerous to pets.
"The message from PDSA this Easter is to keep chocolate away from your pet altogether. If you feel the need to give your pet a small amount of something sweet, make sure it is a treat specially designed for pets," says Pendlebury.
So if you really want to treat your favourite furry chum this Easter festivities steer clear of the real chocolate and treat them to some specially made "pet chocolate" treats available from most pet-shops and supermarkets.
COPYRIGHT: "This material is the copyright of Free Features Ltd and must not be used for any purpose other than intended - ie for publication with the associated sponsor's material. It cannot be sold or used for any commercial purpose outside the terms and conditions that form the contract of registration to this site.
