Friday, April 23, 2010

Petsmart sells Chocolate (a deadly food for all canines) for dogs

Petsmart- a large chain pet store- has a product called "Vitakraft Drops Dog Treats" that come in 3 flavors: Yogurt, Peanut and ChocoMilk. The ChocoMilk flavor "contains cocoa powder and lecithin (an important nutrient generally found in milk and egg yolks)."
Chocolate is an extremely harmful substance to ALL dogs, particularly the chemical theobromine. Dark chocolate, the kind with the most of this chemical, is consequently the most dangerous. Milk chocolate, since it contains none of this chemical, is okay for dogs to eat. Milk chocolate, containing some theobromine, is still dangerous to dogs. Caffeine, also an ingredient on cocoa powder, can negatively affect a dog.
The only chocolate ingredient in these treats is 'cocoa powder.' And according to Wikipedia, cocoa powder contains at least 2 percent theobromin, to at least ten percent and more. So these treats can still harm a dog, although the small amount of both chemicals make the chance very small.

How do theobromine and caffeine affect a dog?
-Stimulates the central nervous system
-Cardiovascular stimulant
-Mildly increases blood pressure
-Causes nausea and vomiting

What are some signs that your dog may have ingested chocolate?
-These signs are usually seen withing 12 hours or less of the ingestion
-Excitement, such as nervousness or trembling
-Vomiting and diarrhea
-Excessive thirst, and at higher levels of theobromine, excessive urination
-Muscle spasms
-Seizures
-Your dog may enter a coma, although this is extremely rare
-Death, likely due to heart rhythm abnormalities, however, death is also quite rare

What should I do if my dog has ingested chocolate?
-Call your vet immediately
-Especially if you suspect your dog has eaten large amounts of chocolate, bring your dog to a vet clinic

And I do not recommend purchasing ChocoMilk dog treats, or any other treats from this brand.

1 comment:

  1. Home-made dog treat is good quality alternative, but I always prefer natural dog treats which I usually purchased it online for my boxer dog. These treats are unbelievable for dog, as they are full of in good physical shape ingredients and are often packed full of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. - See more at homemade dog treats

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