It sounds really ridiculous to hear that a sweet treat as chocolate can lead to illness, and even to the point of death in dogs.
According to Vets, it is one of the most common causes of dog poisoning.
A chocolate chip can cause problems for a little dog, and a bag of chocolate chips can spell trouble for a big one.
SO WHAT MAKES CHOCOLATES THIS LETHAL TO DOGS???
First, it's not the chocolate itself that harms the dogs, but a natural chemical compound contained in it, known as THEOBROMINE.
Theobromine,
is a bitter alkaloid of the cocoa plant, found in chocolate, as well as
in a number of other foods, including the leaves of the tea plant, and
kolanut.
Usually, the darker the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains.
According to THE GUARDIAN,
"a 40g bar of Green & Black's organic dark 70% chocolate, for
instance, contains 48mg theobromine - not enough to kill, perhaps, but
enough to induce what vets call "digestive issues", not to mention
dehydration, excitability, and a slow heart rate. White chocolate
contains lower proportions of theobromine".
Theobromine has been found to be toxic when consumed dosage is between 250 and 500mg per kg of body weight.
EFFECTS OF EATING CHOCOLATES ON DOGS. . .
The
thing is this; the digestive system of dogs metabolize theobromine
slowly, and as such can make them succumb to theobromine poisoning from
as little as 50 grams of chocolate for a smaller dog and 400 grams of
chocolate for an average-sized dog.
Theobromine
poisoning can cause diarrhoea, extreme thirst, convulsions,
hyperthermia (increased body temperature), muscle tremors, seizures,
coma, and even death in dogs.
Other animals that fall into this category include cats and bears, though cats are not known to feed on too much sugary things.
DOES THEOBROMINE SPELL TROUBLE FOR HUMANS TOO???
On the contrary, mild theobromine consumption is harmless to humans.
However, theobromine poisoning may result from the chronic or acute consumption of large quantities, especially in old people.
Theobromine
has a lesser impact on the human central nervous system than caffeine.
It is a myocardial stimulant as well as a vasodilator, it increases
heartbeat, and also dilates blood vessels, causing a reduced blood
pressure.
Theobromine is helpful in treating asthma, since it relaxes the smooth muscles, including the ones found in the bronchi.
Prenatal
and infant exposure to theobromine appeared possibly associated with
hypospadias (birth defect of the penis) and testicular cancer in one
population study.
Additional side effects include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and withdrawal headaches.
All in all, being moderate in whatever we eat and consume is very important.
#StaySafe #BeHealthWise.
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