|
 People
who have pet dogs and cats should take steps to protect the animals
from any opportunity to eat chocolate which could prove fatal to
them, the Australian Veterinary Association warned today.
The AVA
President, Dr Garth McGilvray, said the approach of the Easter
period meant it was timely to issue a community alert that chocolate
is NOT a suitable food for dogs or cats and poses a serious risk to
their health.
The
problem is that the systems of cats and dogs cannot handle one of
key ingredients of chocolate, theobromine (a caffeine-like
substance), as well as humans, he said.
Theobromine can cause a range of problems in domestic animals
because it triggers the release of adrenaline, which can lead to a
greatly accelerated heart rate and an irregular heart beat.
There is a case on record where a dog in
the US died soon
after it found its owner's stockpile of Easter chocolate
In high
dosage situations, pets can begin to vomit, suffer diarrhoea and
excessive urination and become hyperactive. This can be followed by
depression, coma, seizures and death.
The
problem is real and pet owners should be made aware of it,
especially at a time like Easter when chocolate is likely to be
generally on hand Dr McGilvray said.
The
fatal dose of theobromine for dogs is 50mg/lb of bodyweight. This
means different sized animals will react differently to the same
dose. The situation is further confused by the fact that different
types of chocolate contain varying levels of theobromine.
Cooking
chocolate has a much higher level of the substance than milk
chocolate but a dog is less deterred than a human by the bitter
taste of cooking chocolate, so a fatal dose can be quickly gobbled
down if there is chocolate left around.
Dr
McGilvray said: There is a case on record where a dog in the US died
soon after it found its owner's stockpile of Easter chocolate.
Incredibly, it wolfed down almost 2.5kg of various types of
chocolate and stopped only when there was no more to be had.
The
safest thing to do is to ensure that your pet cannot get access to
any chocolate, then nothing can go wrong.
"People
should remember that it is foolish to reward a pet with a small
piece of chocolate - this will serve only to give the animal for the
taste of chocolate and make a serious accident all the more likely
in the future", Dr McGilvray said.
MEDIA RELEASE
Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)
Released: Tuesday, 18
April 2000 |
