Giving your dog food that we as dog owners eat is fine from time to time. When they give us their puppy eyes, it is really hard to resist them, but what happens when your dog eats chocolate? How to make dog throw up after eating chocolate?
Some human foods might not be the best option for your dog, but they are not that harmful. Other foods can be extremely dangerous for your dog, and one of those foods is chocolate.
We will help you out by answering these questions, and giving you some more information that you will want to know when it comes to dogs and chocolate.
How To Make Dog Throw Up After Eating Chocolate
Figuring out that your dog ate chocolate can be a very scary thing. It is a known fact that doggies should never eat chocolate, but sometimes things can happen.
You may enjoy some chocolate, leave it on the table, and go get yourself a glass of water. When you return to the table, some, or even all of the chocolate might be missing. Then, when you look at your dog, it will probably look at you with a bit of guilt.
This is when the problems start. The first instinctive question that you may ask yourself is: How do I make my dog throw up after eating chocolate?
There might not be a lot of things that you can do, but there is one that will help for sure, and we will explain what it is and how to use it.
3% Hydrogen Peroxide To The Rescue
3% Hydrogen Peroxide is a substance that a lot of us have in our cabinets, and this is very convenient. It is very important to use 3% because if you use higher concentrations, you can cause your dog some harm since it can be very dangerous for them.
The 3% concentration is the one that is considered safe for a dog. It can help them out a lot, and you should add it to your dog’s first-aid kit. The thing you need to know is that you can give this to your dog as soon as possible after you notice that it has eaten some chocolate.
It is believed that you should not give this to a dog 3 hours after it has eaten chocolate because in that period, the dog will show signs of chocolate poisoning. This, of course, depends from dog to dog, and if you do not see any sign even after 3 hours, you can give it the 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution.
How do you dose the correct amount for your dog’s size? 1 teaspoon per every 5 pounds is the rule when it comes to dosage. The maximum that a dog can receive is 3 tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide, which adds up to 9 teaspoons (3 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon).
Why do we emphasize that 3 tablespoons is the maximum? This is for pet parents who have 50-pound dogs. According to the rule, the dosage will add up to more than 3 tablespoons, which can cause dogs more harm than good.
With small dogs, you will not have a problem making the dosage.
Some people like to use activated charcoal as well. This will not make your dog throw up, but it will collect most of the bad things in their system that can harm your dog. This way, the dog will excrete all of that by peeing or vomiting much faster.
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How To Give It To Your Dog, And What To Expect
The best thing that can help you is a syringe. Dose the proper amount according to your dog’s weight, put it in a syringe, and give it to your dog.
You should be careful and calm. If you try to quickly give it all at once, your dog can take in a lot of air in its system, and the liquid can enter improperly, which can cause your dog some problems.
Try to calm your dog down, and do it at a normal pace. You need to make sure that you carefully put the syringe in the dog’s mouth, and that the solution enters correctly into the dog’s throat.
You can use peanut butter. Put some on a syringe so the dog can taste it. This way, it might get calmer and not be resistant to you putting the syringe in its mouth.
After the ingestion of the dosage, you need to wait a bit. It is thought that they will vomit after 2 to 5 minutes, but it can take up to 15 to 20 minutes before they start vomiting. If the dog does not vomit, you can try another round.
Your dog might also gag, but not throw up. This is also the case where you can give a second round of the right dosage.
TWO ROUNDS IS THE MAXIMUM THAT A DOG CAN GET. GIVING THEM A DOSAGE THREE TIMES CAN BE DANGEROUS.
When the vomiting starts, do not get scared if it lasts for a longer time. This is normal because the solution is doing its job. It can last for 45 minutes up to an hour or even two.
When the dog is done vomiting, call the vet immediately. If you are unable to get the vet, you can always call the ASPCA animal poison control center since they have their hotline and are available for any concerns that you may have.
Why Is Chocolate Bad For Dogs?
The main thing that makes chocolate dangerous for dogs is theobromine. You may ask yourself what that is. Well, theobromine is an alkaloid chemical that you can find in cocoa plants.
This chemical is very dangerous for dogs because they can’t metabolize it, and this can cause a lot of problems with their kidneys, heart, nervous system, intestines, etc.
Caffeine is also something that you can find in chocolate, and it is also harmful to dogs. It can make them vomit, and it can also cause seizures.
Is Every Type Of Chocolate Equally Dangerous?
Generally speaking, your dog consuming chocolate is very bad, but there are some things that can depend on whether you should panic or stay calm.
The type of chocolate can be one of those things that can depend on whether you react immediately or not. It is believed that milk chocolate and white chocolate are less dangerous for dogs since they do not have a lot of cocoa bean content.
To be more precise, white chocolate is not thought to be dangerous at all since it does not contain any cocoa.
Dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate are extremely dangerous for dogs since they have a lot of cocoa bean content in them, which are filled with chemicals that are bad for dogs.
They can seriously endanger a dog’s health.
So, all in all… chocolate toxicity depends on the amount of cocoa beans used in a bar of chocolate.
The dog’s body weight is also something that you need to take into consideration. Bigger dogs can eat a bit more chocolate and not have big problems. However, when it comes to small dogs, even the smallest amount of chocolate can be very dangerous.
What Are The Symptoms Of Chocolate Poisoning?
As pet owners, the most important thing that we need to take big care of is pet health. When a dog gets sick, it is very hard since they can’t tell us what exactly is wrong with them. In the situation where your dog eats chocolate, you can expect some problems to pop up.
The most important thing that you need to do is call the vet (DVM) as soon as you notice that your dog has consumed some chocolate. There could be a situation in which your vet may not be able to get you an appointment immediately.
In this case, inducing vomiting is the best thing you can do… unless the chocolate poisoning has occurred.
Here are some of the symptoms that your dog will showcase if it has chocolate poisoning:
– Excessive urination
– Elevated heart rate
– Dry nose
– Diarrhea
– Vomiting
– Tremors
– Seizures
– Restlessness
– Collapse
– Drooling
– Coma
– High blood pressure
– Death
Diarrhea and vomiting are symptoms that can occur even when the dog ingested a dose of chocolate that is not extremely dangerous. An accident here and there can happen, so do not get mad.
Vomiting is actually a good symptom because this way, the dog will partially get rid of the chocolate that it has consumed.
Your dog might get diarrhea, but will be acting fine. This is also something that can be considered as a good thing. They will not be in pain, and will not look uncomfortable, but they will be getting rid of all the bad things from chocolate.
Every other symptom needs special medical care. The sooner the care starts, the sooner your dog will get well.
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Prognosis Of Chocolate Poisoning
The main thing that will determine how your dog will feel is the amount of chocolate that it has eaten. If it ate a lot, then there might be some problems that can be severe.
If your dog only ate a small amount of chocolate, it might go without any symptoms, and end up feeling just fine.
The time of your reaction is also very important. If you quickly notice that your dog has eaten some chocolate, you will be able to react quickly.
This way, you will take your dog to the vet sooner, and the vet will determine whether treatment will be needed or not.
How To Prevent Your Dog From Eating Chocolate
There aren’t any special ways that you can prevent your dog from eating chocolate. The main thing is for you to be careful and observant. If you have a sweet tooth and love to eat chocolate and candy, you need to make sure that you are not leaving it somewhere that your dog can reach.
Here are some things you need to know:
– Don’t leave chocolate in low areas of the house, like a table, unintended. The dog will for sure try to snatch it, and since there is no one monitoring it, the dog will certainly grab it.
– A good thing that you need to teach your dog is the command, “drop it”. This way, if you catch your dog munching on some chocolate, then all you will need to do is say “drop it”. You will either prevent the dog from eating the amount of chocolate or you will need to react and grab it from its mouth.
– Teach younger kids to never give a dog chocolate or any candy as treats.
– Keep the chocolate in higher places where your dog can’t reach it. The best would be in your kitchen in a higher and closed cabinet.
– When eating chocolate, make sure that your dog is either in another room or that he or she is able to control itself while this food is around.
To Sum It All Up
Seeing your dog eating chocolate or realizing it afterward is a very scary feeling. Chocolate is toxic for dogs since they can’t metabolize the chemical called theobromine. This chemical is found in cocoa beans, and almost every type of chocolate has it.
White chocolate is an exception, and will not be toxic to dogs. However, the darker the chocolate, the higher the risk is of your dog getting chocolate poisoning.
How to make dog throw up after eating chocolate is one of the most logical questions a pet owner can ask himself. When it comes to your dog eating chocolate, seeing some dog vomit is not a problem… in fact, it is needed.
This way, the dog will get rid of some of the things found in chocolate that can harm it.
We hope that all the information that we gave you is helpful. If your dog got sick, we wish them a speedy recovery.