The holiday season can get especially hectic and this is when most pets ingest something that they shouldn’t. Halloween and Easter are the two most popular times of year for poison cases. Make sure that you have an eye on your pet when family or friends are visiting for the holidays and if you cannot watch them, put them away! Dogs don’t love parties so they will be more than happy to hang out in a quiet area with something yummy (and safe) to chew on! We have provided some of the key information you should have as pet parents pertaining to chocolate!
Rule #1
If your dog does eat chocolate, knowing how much your pet weighs along with approximately how much chocolate they consumed is vital.
Always round to the nearest 10 pounds when determining weight for your dog. So, if your dog weighs 43 pounds, round their weight down to 40 pounds and so on. Have an approximate guess on how much chocolate they consumed; 8oz M&M bag, 2oz Hershey’s Bar and so on.
Rule #2
What kind of chocolate did they eat?
Remember, the darker the chocolate the more toxic it is. White chocolate is almost nontoxic but baker’s chocolate has the highest toxicity level.
Rule #3
Be aware of what emergency services are closest to you. Know where your closest emergency 24 hour pet clinic is at all times. The Pet Poison Helpline is 855-764-7661. They do charge approximately $60 a call so if you do not know how much chocolate your dog ate, you are better off heading right to your closest emergency vet clinic.
When calculating how much chocolate is toxic, use the following formula: Amount of toxic ingredient multiplied by amount ingested divided by weight of pet.
If this number is close to or exceeds 20 you should contact your vet immediately. 