Day 2- Introduction and Chocolate

Introduction

As it is now December I have decided to create a series of videos discussing the potential hazards and challenges our dogs face during the holiday period. This blog has been created to run alongside those videos and provide a more in depth discussion on each of the topics and hopefully answer any questions that may arise from the videos.

If you would like to ask any questions or to view the videos I have linked my Facebook and Instagram account below.

I hope you enjoy this series of videos and learn something new.

https://www.facebook.com/pjbehaviour

https://www.instagram.com/pjbehaviour/

Chocolate

 Chocolate is found in abundance at this time of year, between having chocolates available for our guests (or ourselves), advent calendars or chocolate tree decorations. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which is toxic to our dogs, the darker the chocolate the higher the concentration of theobromine, which means it takes less dark chocolate to cause a toxicity than milk chocolate.

If you suspect that your dog has eaten any amount of chocolate, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible and let them know the weight of your dog, the amount of chocolate your dog has eaten, the cocoa content of the chocolate (which should be listed on the packet in the form of a percentage), and how long ago you think your dog ate it. Your vet can then advise whether medical intervention is required.

To prevent ingestion, make sure all chocolate is kept out of reach of your dog, either high on shelves or in cupboards. And if you are gifting any, make sure you (or they) do not put them under the tree until the last minute so the dog does not smell it and go exploring.