As beautiful to the eye as they are super greedy to the mouth, sweets are a real danger for our dogs. Sin of gluttony for us humans, they are instead absolutely to be avoided when it comes to dogs. Let’s see together what to do if your dog eats sweets by mistake.
Why are sweets dangerous for dogs?
Those who own a dog know it well, when it’ s time to sit at the table, it is always difficult not to give in to the big eyes of our furry dog when he asks us for a small bite of our food. Regardless of what food it is, remember, if you get your dog used to demanding food from the table, it will then be difficult to disaccustom him. Besides that, some dogs and some breeds risk putting on too much weight. So be careful! There are foods, then, that really must never be given to our furry friends, such as sweets. When we talk about sweets, we mainly refer to those foods with a high rate of glucose, refined sugars and artificial sweeteners.
The same applies to some natural sweeteners such as honey. The systematic ingestion of glucose can cause your dog serious diseases and even death. Dogs, in fact, do not assimilate sugars in the same way we do. This is why sweets are dangerous for dogs.
What to do if you dog eat chocolate?
Unbelievable but true, among all the sweets in our table, the most toxic one is just chocolate. Whether it is milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate or hazelnut chocolate it does not matter, the level of toxicity for dogs is really high. This happens because it contains theobromine, an alkaloid responsible for the acceleration of the heart rate and for the increase of blood pressure. In really extreme cases it can even lead to convulsions. So what to do if your dog eats chocolate? First of all it is important to verify the quantity ingested and the time passed since the ingestion. Once this information has been gathered, contact your trusted veterinarian. Certainly if the quantity of chocolate ingested is minimal, there could be only a little stomachache or diarrhea, nothing serious. It is good to consider the breed as well in order to evaluate how much the quantity ingested could have been harmful (a Great Dane and a Chiwawa will certainly have a different tolerance threshold). If the quantity has been really high, the veterinarian could proceed with a gastric lavage, inducing the dog to vomit. The vet will certainly know how to evaluate the best solution. No more chocolate!