Beware Of Sharing Holiday Treats

Ghosts, turkeys and Santa Claus might signal holiday fun for people. But for dogs, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas can have a definite dark side. Treats and leftovers that accompany these holidays all pose a potentially serious threat to canine health.

HALLOWEEN

A substance in chocolate called theobromine is the big threat to dogs around Halloween, when the sweet stuff is readily available.

According to the “Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook,” a small dog (5-10 pounds) can die after eating four to 16 ounces of milk chocolate; for medium-sized dogs (20-40 pounds) it’s 16-32 ounces; and for larger dogs the fatal dosage is about two pounds.

Different kinds of chocolate have different theobromine levels. Milk chocolate has 6 milligrams of theobromine per ounce. Semi-sweet chocolate has 22 milligrams per ounce and unsweetened (baking) chocolate has 35-45 milligrams per ounce. A large dog can die after eating just four ounces of unsweetened chocolate.

Signs of theobromine poisoning occur within hours after a dog eats chocolate. Symptoms can include restlessness, increased heart rate, rapid breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors, seizures and coma.

If your dog has eaten chocolate, induce vomiting immediately. Three methods are: (1) Give syrup of ipecac, one teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight; (2) Give hydrogen peroxide 3 percent, one to three teaspoons every 10 minutes repeated three times; (3) Give one-half to one teaspoon salt placed at the back of the tongue.

If it’s been more than two hours since the dog ate chocolate, a veterinarian needs to immediately administer activated charcoal, which prevents absorption.

(Note: Caffeine is closely related to theobromine and can cause the same symptoms.)

THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS

Rapid diet changes are the biggest threat to a dog’s health during the holiday season, when rich, fatty leftovers and baked goods abound in the human diet and sometimes make their way to the canine digestive tract.

“In certain breeds that are predisposed to pancreatitis, like miniature schnauzers, a rapid diet change can be life threatening,” said Dr. Gordon Jewett of All Creatures Veterinary Clinic in the Spokane Valley.

Problems like vomiting and diarrhea result from feeding table scraps, pan drippings or sweets to dogs that don’t commonly eat them. If fed on a regular basis, these foods lead to obesity, a common dog health problem. Jewett advises dog owners to feed only a quality dog food supplemented with small amounts of cooked meat and fresh fruits and vegetables.

“To find a quality dog food, read what’s called the AAFCO statement on the package, which tells how the food was developed,” Jewett said. “A quality food will have been taken through feeding trials on several generations of dogs, not just thrown together based on some formula.”

To further prevent obesity, Jewett advises decreasing the food intake of spayed and neutered dogs to match their lower metabolic needs and making sure a dog has daily physical and mental exercise. He cautions against overfeeding puppies.

“When you pet your dog behind the shoulder blade the ribs should be easily felt,” Jewett said. “If you have to press hard to feel them or you never find them, your dog is overweight.”

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