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Chocolate poisoning in cats and dogs
INGESTION of chocolate is one of the most common causes of poisoning in dogs. Chocolate contains theobromine and dogs and cats metabolise theobromine more slowly than hu mans.
FOOD banks for pets are on the rise in the UK to help owners who are struggling with the cost of living crisis and the trend looks set to continue expanding given their success and rising demand.
One case is in Coventry, where Melinda Anthony runs a pet food bank by the Betty Ennis Foundation charity, supplying pet food and other animal essentials.
She set it up last year after encountering a plea on social media from a local couple who were in dire straits after he was laid off due to injury and she had been put on Universal Credit.
A call for help was put out and I received “loads of donations of food,” Melinda told the BBC, adding that she believes the cost of feeding pets is leading increasing numbers of owners to abandon them.
The idea is also catching on in Spain, especially since the Covid crisis. The first pet food banks opened in Catalonia several years ago and have since spread throughout the country.
The only requirements to use these centres are for the pet owners to be able to prove that they are struggling financially and that the animal is registered in their name.
If you are planning a trip later this year, register now to find petsitters in time. Even if it’s just a short trip, you’ll know that sometimes you just have to leave pets at home. Young and senior pets in particular benefit from staying in their own home, so they can follow their routines undisturbed. Let us help.
Choose Housesitmatch.com for affordable travel, home and pet care. These are the steps to take:
1. Register as a home owner on HouseSit Match.com
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3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house
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Emergency Numbers
The lethal dose (LD50) for dogs is 300mg / kg and for cats 200mg / kg. Cats are more sensitive but have little desire to eat chocolate. A dose of 80mg / kg is enough to cause severe poisoning. Even with an ingestion of 20mg / kg, slight signs such as polydipsia / polyuria (drinking and urinating a lot) and diarrhoea may appear.
Chocolate is not healthy.
The amount of theobromine depends on the type of chocolate. Only 24 grams of pure chocolate coverage would cause the poisoning of a 20kg dog and it would be necessary four times more if it was treats of milk chocolate.
The clinical signs are vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle tremors, rapid breathing, cyanosis, hyperthermia, hypertension, restlessness and if the poisoning is significant, seizures, coma and death. Symptoms appear after four to 12 hours.
If you think that your pet has been able to eat a significant amount of chocolate, you should go to the vet immediately.
In Costablanca Norte: Anicura Marina Baixa Hospital Veterinario www.veterinariamarinabaixa.com
