It's October, and with October comes Halloween, and with Halloween comes candy, and with candy comes CHOCOLATE.

This month's topic is chocolate toxicity as well as other common items that can cause toxicity in your pet.

Chocolate is a wonderful treat for us all.  Dogs even love chocolate.  Unfortunately, it can be very dangerous to animals.  There are three substances in chocolate that make it toxic to animals; theobromine, theophylline and caffeine.  These substances are examples of methylxanthines.  Methylxanthines also occur in tea and coffee.

Signs of Toxicosis

Signs of toxicosis are: vomiting, diarrhea, excessive urination, restlessness, increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, hyperactivity, and/or seizures.  Different kinds of chocolate contain different levels of theobromine.  For example, unsweetened baking chocolate can have 400 mg (milligrams) of theobromine per ounce.  However, milk chocolate has only 55 mg per ounce.  The oral lethal dose of methylxanthines ranges from 100 - 300 mg per kilogram of body weight.  So toxicosis depends on the size of the pet, what kind of product eaten, and how much the pet ate.  It really helps the veterinarian to know all three of these pieces of information to determine if your pet will have the dangerous side effects and just mild gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea only).  The sooner you contact your veterinarian, the better.  Treatment consists of making the dog vomit, intravenous fluids, slowing the heart rate down, and treating seizures if present.

Toxic household products

Other common household products that can be toxic to pets are:

•     soaps/detergents
•     pine oils and turpentine
•     petroleum distillates (gasoline, solvents etc.)
•     alcohol's (ethanol, methanol, isopropanlol)
•     ethylene glycol (anti-freeze)
•     metals (lead)
•     D-Con/rodenticides/insecticides
•     certain cold medications
•     certain vitamins/minerals
•     antidepressants
•     Many other over the counter medications

Toxic over the counter (OTC) drugs

Certain over the counter (OTC) drugs are used all the time in dogs and cats, such as aspirin.  However, some OTC medications are toxic due to their chemical properties or if ingested in large quantities.

Aspirin is commonly used but in large quantities it can cause gastric ulcers and central nervous system depression.  Cats are very sensitive to aspirin but aspirin can be used in cats under a veterinarian's supervision.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen and ketoprofen can also cause toxicities.  These are examples of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.  Contact your veterinarian before giving any OTC medicine.

Conclusion

In conclusion, keep chocolate and medications out of your pet's reach, clean up spills and always check with your veterinarian before using any products on your pet.

We here at Centennial Valley Animal Hospital hope you and your pets have a safe and enjoyable Halloween.