You love it! I love it! Dark chocolate is so treasured that it is the primary gift for several holidays, the most coveted of bed pillow treats, the subject of theme parties, and the most decadent of desserts served. Heads turn and smiles emerge from hiding when the words “dark chocolate” are spoken. Admit it. I bet you have a little dark chocolate secretly hidden away!
Fortunately, dark chocolate is incredibly healthy for people. It is a super food loaded with antioxidants from the cacao bean powder ingredient. But not all dark chocolate is created equal. In fact, Buy Dark Chocolate in Hawaii made by a new method of cold processing the cacao beans maintains all the antioxidants for the finished product. The traditional method of heat processing destroys most of the healthy antioxidants. But, regardless of the antioxidant content, chocolate is only healthy for people. Dark chocolate is a wondrous gift to the palate, heart, and soul of people just for being human. The delicious flavor of dark chocolate turns sharply sour if it is eaten by your pet.
Dogs seem to be most commonly attracted to chocolates as they are well known to have a sweet tooth. Other pets of any species though are equally at risk for illness or death if too much chocolate is eaten. People, too, may become sick from eating too much chocolate. But it is usually dogs who find whole baskets, sacks, or bowls of chocolate and eat it all. Chocolate contains a compound called theobromine, and some chocolates also contain caffeine. The toxic effects of chocolate are caused primarily by theobromine and caffeine. As a rule of thumb, the darker the chocolate, the higher the theobromine content. Caffeine content is more variable. High fat content found in some chocolates can also put pets at risk for severe inflammatory disease of their pancreas.
The most common early symptom of over eating chocolate may be life saving. Vomiting may solve the problem of toxicity entirely if it occurs soon enough to remove the offending chocolate. Vomiting is most effective within 90 minutes of ingestion, although it may still be valuable later. Other noticeable symptoms that develop include excessive thirst, loose stool, restlessness, and bellyache or bloating. These symptoms usually occur within 6 to 12 hours of overeating. If the amount of theobromine in the chocolate is high enough, then more dangerous symptoms affecting the heart (rapid heart rate, irregular beat rhythm, hypertension) and brain (tremors, seizures, coma) may follow putting the pet at high risk of death.
Obviously, if you know that your pet has eaten chocolate or if you are noticing symptoms like those described, then immediate contact with your veterinarian, an emergency pet hospital, or a poison control center for animals is warranted. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center phone number is 888-426-4435. Consultants are available 24 hours a day. The ASPCA does charge a fee for consultation.
You, personally, can enjoy the many benefits of healthy dark chocolate. Reward yourself for being human by eating healthy dark chocolate everyday! But remember how very important is to protect your secret chocolate hideaway, and to protect your pets from the life-threatening dangers that chocolate poses to them.
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