The poisoning is usually the consequence of the caffeine beverages consumption, but it is possible also from the combined medical preparations for pain management (pain killers - often with Extra in the name, -fein as the suffix of the name etc.). Lethal dose of caffeine in dogs is approximately 100-200 mg/kg of body weight, for cats 80-150 mg/kg of body weight. Caffeine is metabolised more quickly compared to theobromin, so the risk of cummulation is lower. Moreover it stimulates nervous tissue and can cause tremors and seizures in overdose. It also increases calcium concentration in heart cells and strenghtens cardiac contractions. On the other hand it contains only traces of theobromin, which is not responsible for the poisoning in this case.Ĭaffeine is another substance which occupies and blocks adenosine receptors and thus leads to heart arrhytmias. As well as chocolate it contains caffeine, but in a much higher concentration. as a training reward), the risk of poisoning is also big, as the theobromin may cummulate due to its slow excretion.Ĭoffee is also dangerous for animals.
If you treat your animals with small amounts of chocolate several times a day (e.g. The biggest risk of chocolate poisoning exists in ill animals, young animals and after accidents when the animal eats e.g. In dark chocolate there is approximately 500 mg of theobromine in one 100 gram chocolate bar, in milk chocolate it is approximately 200 mg of theobromine in 100 gram chocolate bar. In rats consuming small amounts of theobroming for a long time testes damage was described.
Lethal dose of theobromine for healthy dog is aproximately 300 mg/kg of body weight, for healthy cat approximately 200 mg/kg of body weight, for rat approximately 800-1000 mg/kg. This excessive fat amount may lead to acute pancreas damage, which is very often life-threatening health complication. Moreover, chocolate can be dangerous also due to its high fat content. Patients with heart disease or circulatory system disease are then susceptible even to very small amounts of theobromine, healthy animals are in danger after the ingestion of bigger amounts of chocolate. Once the theobromine occupies binding places which should be under normal conditions occupied by adenosine, heart dysrhytmias, which might be even fatal, occur. Theobromine also increases calcium content in cardiac cells which leads to very strong contractions of cardiac muscle. Thus it can cummulate in the animal organism and influence it for a very long time. Theobromine in the body influences substance called adenosine which is responsible for the regulation of heart rhythm. Chocolate is toxic for both dogs and cats, but can be dangerous also to other animal species - poisonings are described in horses, pigs, cattle, poultry etc. The health impairment and complications were described also in elderly humans with pre-existing heart diseases.Ĭhocolate contains caffeine and also theobromine, which is a substance similar to caffeine. Theobromine is especially dangerous to animals, because its metabolism in most of the animal species is very slow compared to humans.
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