Happy Easter! We hope everyone, including our furry family members, enjoy the holiday, which means we need to make sure our pets are kept safe. Many Easter treats pose a danger to our furry companions, especially dogs & cats. The first treat we would like to discuss is chocolate.
Most people are already aware that chocolate isn’t good for dogs (or cats). The toxin in chocolate that causes problems is theobromine, which is a type of caffeine. Any type of caffeine can poison our pets, so tea and coffee (especially any leaves or granules) are also off the menu. Generally, the darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. Symptoms of caffeine toxicity include a racing heartbeat (and sometimes heart palpitations), vomiting, hyper-excitement, excessive drinking, weakness, elevated temperature and in severe cases seizures, coma and death.
White chocolate, even though it contains very little theobromine, still isn’t safe. It has a high fat content that in some animals may be responsible for setting off an episode of pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is a very painful condition that can be fatal in some cases. Symptoms include vomiting, lethargy and refusal to eat.
If you are concerned that your pet may have eaten something it shouldn’t have, please do not hesitate to call us.
References:
- Cortinovis, C. & Caloni, F., Household Food Items Toxic to Dogs and Cats, Front Vet Sci [Internet]. 2016 Mar [cited 2017 Mar 12]; 3(Article26):1-7 Available from http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2016.00026/full DOI 10.3389/fvets.2016.00026
- Kovalkovičová, N., Šutiaková, I., Pistl, J. & Šutiak, V., Some food toxic for pets, Interdiscip Toxicol 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 12]; 2(3):169-176 Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2984110/ DOI: 10.2478/v10102-009-0012-4