Hardcore chocoholics rejoice in the knowledge that dark chocolate is believed by medical experts to be a potent antioxidant that destroys free radicals, those destructive molecules to blame for heart disease. Although chocolate is recommended in moderate amounts, this factoid has become (surprise) a popular justification for binging. But as healthy as dark chocolate is for us humans, it’s hazardous – even deadly – for our dogs.
Any chocolate is dangerous for dogs to ingest, but dark chocolate is especially scary, as it contains much higher levels of theobromine, a methylxanthine (alkaloid molecule) that is metabolized by dogs slowly, causing damage to the heart, central nervous system, and kidneys. Early signs of theobromine poisoning are nausea, vomiting, restlessness, diarrhea, muscle tremors, increased urination, and incontinence; symptoms of more advanced poisoning include cardiac arrhythmias and seizures.
Veterinarians treat chocolate poisoning by inducing vomiting – this happened to actor-writer Steve Martin’s yellow Labrador, Wally, two days before Christmas. Wally was rushed to NYC Veterinary Specialists, a 24-hour emergency animal hospital in Manhattan, which charged $935 to empty the dog’s stomach.
America’s adventurous discovery of a whole new world of cocoa, incorporating ingredients from Ecuador, Madagascar, or Indonesia, means savvy chocolatiers are marketing gourmet chocolate bars that are killer – literally (some have cocoa contents as high as 85 percent, which is deadly for dogs). Our newfound cocoa connoisseurship puts our dogs at even greater risk of chocolate poisoning, because now our pantries are likely to contain sky-high levels of theobromine, whether we prefer artisanal chocolate or M&M’s Dark.
Yet even those old kitchen staples, ordinary baker’s chocolate and chocolate chips, pose a serious canine hazard, so take care when baking that Spot doesn’t eat any cake or cookie batter, either before or after it’s baked. And please store your cocoa stash in a safe place your canine cannot reach. Finally, know that chocolate bars aren’t the only hazard – dogs love to chew on cocoa mulch, which also contains deadly levels of theobromine, so don’t use this type of mulch in your garden, and keep Spot away from areas landscaped with cocoa mulch.
