With Easter just around the corner it is important to not let your pets have access to chocolate. It is not uncommon for dogs to find the Easter egg hunt stash of chocolate or help with the hunt itself. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs with different types of chocolate being more or less toxic.

Chocolate contains two substances that are toxic to dogs: theobromine and caffeine.

The more chocolate there is in a product, the more theobromine there is. This makes baking chocolate the worst for pets, followed by dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate flavored cakes and cookies. Theobromine causes:

• Vomiting 
• Diarrhoea
• Hyperactivity 
• Tremors 
• Seizures 
• Racing heart rate progressing to abnormal beats 
• Death in severe cases

If you suspect your dog has eaten chocolate or is showing any signs of chocolate toxicity please call Bohle Veterinary Surgery in Townsville on 4751 6677.

As a rough guide to how much chocolate a dog can eat before showing toxicity see the table below

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