baking chocolate not candy can prove toxic to pets

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UF VETERINARIANS OFFER PET SAFETY TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Dec. 4, 1998
by Sarah Carey



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GAINESVILLE -- Pet owners should keep in mind their animals' safety during the holiday season, when hazards increase, say University of Florida veterinarians.

Drunk drivers, electrical cords and baking chocolate all pose a greater-than-usual threat to animals at this time of year because they become more common, said Michael Schaer, professor with the UF College of Veterinary Medicine's small animal clinical sciences department.

"Keep your animals on leashes and away from roads in order to avoid encounters with drunken drivers," Schaer said.

Holiday-related dietary indiscretions, including feeding animals baking chocolate, can prove toxic to pets, he added. Chocolate cooking bars are high in a chemical called theobromine, a stimulant which can be fatal to a small animal.

"Use common sense," Schaer said. "Keep cooking chocolate bars in a place where your dog or cat can't get to them."

He added that regular chocolate candy does not pose a theobromine toxicity risk.


For more information, contact Sarah Carey, director of public relations, UF College of Veterinary Medicine, (352) 392-4700, ext. 5206

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1: Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 2004 Nov;55(4):279-90. Related Articles, Links


[Antioxidative and antiradical activity of flavonoids]

[Article in Croatian]

Kazazic SP.

Institut Ruder Boskovic, Zagreb. snjezana@joker.irb.hr

Flavonoids are a major group of phenolic compounds which are important in flavouring and colouring of many fruits and vegetables and derived products such as wine, tea preparations and chocolate. Recently, flavonoids are given much attention due to their excellent antioxidative and antiradical activity. Studies have revealed that flavonoids are good scavengers of free radicals, and consequently, they are much used in pharmaceutical and food industries. Flavonoids also have a gamut of other biochemical activities; some have been found to possess significant anti-cardiovascular disease, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-mutagenic, antiviral, anti-tumour and activities.

Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial

PMID: 15584555 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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CHOCOLATE TOXICOSIS

General Information
Chocolate toxicosis refers to poisoning by chocolate. The substance that causes the poisoning is theobromine, which is found in chocolate, cocoa, tea, and colas. Dogs are more susceptible to chocolate poisoning because of their appetite for sweets. Poisoning in cats has not been reported, probably because they do not care for sweets as much as dogs do.
Milk chocolate contains about 44 mg of theobromine per ounce of chocolate, and unsweetened or baking chocolate has about 390 mg per ounce (1 ounce28,000 mg). The actual poisonous dose of theobromine differs among dogs and depends on the individual dog's own system, but half of all dogs will experience poisoning if they consume 125 to 250 mg of theobromine for each pound of body weight. For example, if a 1-pound dog eats 3 ounces of milk chocolate, it would have a 50% chance of being poisoned; a 10-pound dog would have to eat 30 ounces or a little less than 2 pounds of milk chocolate to have a 50% chance of being poisoned. Poisoning has occurred with smaller amounts of ingested theobromine, but most poisonous doses fall within the range given above.
Chocolate poisons dogs by causing the release of powerful body stimulants, such as epinephrine and norepinephrine. It also alters calcium use by muscles.
Signs of chocolate poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination, changes in heart rate and rhythm, staggering, muscle twitching, coma, and possible death.

Important Points in Treatment
1. Serum tests may be used to determine the presence and amount of poison in the body.
2. Treatment depends on the signs of illness. It is directed at preventing the absorption of the poisonous substance from the intestinal tract, increasing the rate of evacuation of intestinal tract contents, administering life-saving support, and controlling any seizures.

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Chocolate Intoxication
Vet Med 96[2]:108-111 Feb'01 Toxicology Brief 6 Refs

Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, DVM, PhD
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, Urbana, IL (888) 4ANI-HELP
The toxic compounds in chocolate are methylxanthines, specifically theobromine and caffeine. The relative amounts of theobromine and caffeine vary with the form of chocolate. In most chocolate compounds theobromine is the predominant toxic component, and caffeine is present in much lower concentrations.
Theobromine and caffeine each have an LD50 of 100 to 200 Mg/kg,