Dogs and chocolate

Happy Easter Sunday everybody! have to say though, the weather is not very nice here in the UK, it was hale stoning before (typical England).

So many of you have probably opened your Easter eggs already, and maybe could not have all of it in one go, so you put it on the side for later. with dogs in the house, You have to be very cautious as chocolate can be very toxic to dogs and can make them very ill or even worse kill them! 

So what is in chocolate to make it toxic for dogs?

Chocolate has a alkaloid ingredient named theobromine, which is also found in other foods and beverages, Each kind of chocolate contains different quantities, especially in dark chocolate it is very high. Us humans can naturally metabolise this ingredient, but dogs metabolism of it is much slower, which is why it more toxic to dogs. Some people and websites say that in small amounts, chocolate will not be harmful, and depending on the dogs size, the amount of theobromine needed to cause harm is quite high, but this has never properly been proven, so do not risk it.

So what are you the owners responsible for?

• Keeping chocolate out of sight and reach of your dog is vital, so put it in your food cupboard or fridge
• making sure your visitors and children do not feed your dog any chocolate they are eating
• training your dog to leave any human food is a must, so booking on to a dog training class will help you.
• You can buy dog safe chocolate from pets shops, which the dog can metabolise quicker. 

I have seen some websites saying to muzzle your dog to stop them scavenging any food when out and about and in the house, but I think that this is a negative way of teaching your dog to leave food they should not be eating, instead do it positively which most dog training schools offer.

I hope you all enjoyed this small post, it came to mind when I was eating my Easter egg haha. Its always handy to know what is bad for your dog and why it is also. 

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TPDW