It’s that time of year when grocery stores will quadruple the amount of candy on their shelves and costume stores that struggle all year round will flourish. Soon, our young witches, warlocks and cute cadavers will roam the night in search of sweet things. So, best prepare because they will come knocking — with pillowcases and baskets outstretched. You can almost guarantee that they’re not on the prowl for low-carb or sugar-free sweets!
It’s safe to say that around Halloween time, there is usually just a little more chocolate laying innocently around the house—some we may be tempted to eat and some we may be inclined to feed to our pets without a second thought. Chocolate, however, is reputedly bad for dogs especially, along with a host of other commonly accessible household items that we don’t think twice about. This article will educate you on a few innocent things dogs and cats shouldn’t be munching on, starting with chocolate.
Chocolate may be deadly to our diets but it can really be deadly to our pets, especially dogs. The lust of chocolate is more a dog issue because cats generally don’t care for chocolate and dogs generally love it. Keep in mind that different breeds of dogs react differently (if at all) to chocolate.
Chocolate contains chemicals called methylxanthine alkaloids. Certain types of chocolate contain higher amounts of these chemicals than others. For instance, baking chocolate contains the most and white chocolate contains the least.
Even small amounts of these toxic chemicals can cause constriction of arteries, increased heart rate and stimulation to the central nervous system, similar to that of an overdose of caffeine. This can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness and frequent urination. Larger amounts of chocolate can, of course, mean greater toxicity. More dire symptoms include excitability, heightened heartbeat, stiffness and seizures. One pound of milk chocolate is a potentially lethal dose for a 16 pound dog.
In the event that your dog has gotten its paws on some chocolate, you should take note of the type, estimate the amount eaten and then phone your vet or emergency care facility. Educate your children on the importance of keeping chocolate out of your pet’s reach. Dr. Jane insists anything that tastes and looks like chocolate should be on the “do not” list. Unfortunately for our dogs, there are look-a-like treats, which serve to promote your inclination to feed chocolate to your dog. If you are unaware that your dog ingested chocolate, the consequences can be dire. If chocolate ingestion is not found within four to six hours without appropriate treatment, cardiac failure, seizures, coma and death can result.
Dog-matic Don’ts
Just like us, dogs can develop very eclectic palates. Dogs are scavengers! They’ll eat anything and everything that’s not moving— from plants and pantyhose to old garbage.
Unfortunately, this endearing trait can be detrimental for dogs. Often we take for granted the things we eat and the things we keep in the house are safe for our pets, too. However, they can be downright toxic to them. As a result, there’s a danger we may feed our dogs things that can tear up their insides. Following is a list of harmful foods and common plants, along with their harmful effects and miscellaneous information.
Food & Plants that can be Harmful to Dogs
| Food or Plant | Harmful Effects | Comments |
| Coffee or Cocoa | abdominal pain, vomiting, heart rate increase, diarrhea, seizures, coma, death | Caffeine keeps us up; caffeine gets them down. |
| Onion | vomiting, diarrhea, discolored urine, liver damage, anemia | Cats more sensitive than dogs |
| Certain types of mushrooms | abdominal pain, liver & kidney damage, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma, death | Look out for wild mushrooms when walking your dog in the woods. |
| Apple Tree | rapid increase in breathing | Apples are fine; their stems & leaves aren’t |
| Anti-freeze | Shuts down the kidney | Unfortunately, dogs love it. |
| Mistletoe | vomiting, abdominal pain, depression | It may make us kiss, but it can make our cats and dogs vomit. |
| Cherry Tree | rapid breathing, heart rate increase, shock | Like apples, the fruit is fine, but not the leaves and roots of the tree. |
| Moth Balls | vomiting, diarrhea, anemia | Main chemical is naphthalene which is especially toxic to dogs; can cause tremors and seizures depending on chemicals. |
Article provided by HealthyPetNet: http://www.healthypetnet.com/newsletter/october/home.asp
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