Chocolate and your American Bully : A food of danger

Introduction

Either its a occasion of casual treat or any grand occasion, we love to enjoy chocolate and sweets. Likewise Dogs too love chocolates. Yet to their worse luck, it is harmful for them. Chocolate is toxic to all dog breeds inclusive of American bully of all sorts.

It is essential for all dog owners to be aware and highly conscious regarding their pets’ chocolate consumption.

Being an American bully admirer, I would like to share some crucial information about chocolate and american bully, & measures to rescue your pet from chocolate dangers. The degree of toxicity depends on some factors such as type of chocolate they have had, amount of chocolate consumed and further upon the weight of your American bully.

So let’s have our closer insight at how chocolates are toxic for these canines. Moreover We will discuss about variety of chocolates and their toxicity level, signs of dangers in American bully and appropriate measures to be taken for the same.

Why chocolates are toxic for American bully dogs ?

We all love chocolates but very few of us know how these chocolates are made.

Chocolate is made from cacao beans which grow on cacao trees. Chocolate is composed of four majour ingredients which contribute to it’s toxicity for dogs. These are Theobromine, Caffeine, fat and sugar. Caffeine and Theobromine belongs to methylxanthine class which act as stimulant for our heart and central nervous system.

American bullies can’t breakdown these two chemicals with ease like human being which outurns the chocolate consumption toxic even life threatening for them. Increased fat and sugar content may leads to digestion issues in dogs.

Different types of chocolates and their level of toxicity

Though all kinds of chocolates are destructive for dogs but some are proved to be most toxic for them.
The toxicity level of chocolates may vary depending upon the degree of methylxanthine present in it.

The darker and pure chocolates contains excessive theobromine and caffeine content resulting in high dangers and more threats. Theobromine takes much longer to digest so it sounds worst of the two.

Different types of chocolates on the basis of their toxicity from most to the least are listed below :

1. Cocoa beans (most toxic)
2. Cocoa powder
3. Unsweetened baker’s chocolate
4. Semisweet chocolate
5. Dark chocolate
6. Milk chocolate
7. White chocolate (least toxic)

What kind and how much of chocolate dog consumed will help you know if its emergency or not.
Remember even least amount of theobromine and caffeine are present in white chocolate but it contains more sugar and fat which may do harm to your dog specifically to smaller dogs.

How much chocolate is toxic to American bullydogs

The toxicity of chocolate mainly depends on the amount of theobromine and caffeine contained in the chocolate and mass of your American bully as well . Symptoms may also vary accordingly.

Smaller size of dogs may experience more trouble and pains compared to massive size American bully dogs by eating same amount of chocolate.

Pure chocolates are poisonous to such an extent that it may drag them to death. Sugar free chocolates are even more harmful for your American bully as it contains xylitol, a sugar alcohol which is added as a sweetner to many food products. Even little amount of it may prove deadly for them.

A chocolate toxicity calculator can also help to understand the risk of danger to American bully. You will be required to state the type of chocolate consumed by your pet along with the amount of chocolate and weight of your dog approximately. Generally ,the packages of chocolate show type and net weight of chocolate.

How American bully dogs’ weight influences degree of chocolate toxicity

Though all chocolates are toxic for dogs irrespective of their weight, amount of chocolate ingestion and size of the dogs. yet, reduced weight of your American bully may leads to severe symptoms visibility in them.

The smaller the dog will be,the more concentration of methylxanthine is present in their body and vice-versa.

If a 20-pound American Bully consumes a small amount of dark chocolate, it may experience more severe symptoms than if a 60-pound American Bully ingests the same amount of dark chocolate. Thus,the weight of American bully influences the intensity of toxicity.

Symptoms of chocolate toxicity in American bully breed

Owing to the presence of Theobromine and caffeine chemicals in the chocolate makes various symptoms detectable in dogs.

Severity of symptoms may vary in accordance with the size of dog and specifically how much chocolate it ate. Generally these symptoms of chocolate poisoning may appears within 6 to 12 hours after ingestion.

If you have a doubt that your American bully has consumed any chocolate, then be alert about its signs. Some common signs of chocolate toxicity are:

• Vomiting
• Restlessness
• Increased body temperature
• Anxious behaviour
• bloating
• Muscular rigidity
• Rapid breathing
• Increased heart rate
• Excessive thirst
• Hyperactivity

These dogs’ old-age and heart issues put them at high risk of sudden death from chocolate toxicity Some more severe symptoms of chocolate poisoning are:

• Heart failure
• Seizures
• Tremors
• Death
• Collapse

In such situations either contact your veterinarian or take them to animal hospital immediately.

What should be done if your American bully eats chocolate

If you suspect your American bully dogs has consumed chocolate then you shouldn’t wait even for a while. Fast and quick action is required to be taken. Primarily you should get connected with your veterinarian or take it to emergency dog’s hospital.

The veterinarian may enquire about the type of chocolate ingested, amount of chocolate consumed and the time at which chocolate has been consumed by your pet. These queries will help him further in taking appropriate actions.

If your furry friend consumed chocolate a short while ago like before 2 or 3 hours .Then, Vet may induce it to vomit with a view to take off the chocolate before it’s get absorbed in the blood. Note this should only be practised under the supervision of a canine expert.

Otherwise ,it may even worsen the consequences. But for more serious health issues doctor may advice for hospitalisation for few days based on its condition.

Either they may also provide some additional medical treatment for the sake of minimizing the harmful effects of chocolate and get rid off the same.

Conclusion

In order to prevent our American bully from the consumption of chocolate, following things should be considered :

Keep Cocoa powder, choconuts and other chocolate products out of the reach of your bully. These things shouldn’t be left on the desks,table ,purse or anywhere else where dog could easily grab them.

Children and guests are required to be informed about dangers of chocolates and ensure safety of them.

Training and Teaching them through commands may help in preventing them from eating anything that may be fatal for them.

It is the prime and entire responsibility of the pet owners to keep their pets safe and protect them from consumption of any harmful material including chocolates.

Be aware and conscious about the dangers of chocolates for American bully. Be quick to take preventive and curative measures as well. Adopt some healthy ways to celebrate and enjoy treats with your dog companion.

FAQs

Q1. What happens if a American bully eats chocolate?

Ans. Chocolate contains two toxic chemicals, Caffeine and Theobromine, which act as stimulant for its heart and central nervous system. It may cause problems like restlessness, diarrhoea increased heart rate etc. In case of high dosage, it may even leads to heart failure and death.

Q2. What if my dog accidentally licked chocolate?

Ans. Generally symptoms of chocolate poisoning may appear within 6 to 12 hours after ingestion. So don’t wait for signs to appear, if you are already aware about your dog’s chocolate consumption. Immediately contact your veterinarian or take it to the vet’s clinic.

Q3. Can a bite of chocolate hurt a dog?

Ans. It may not lead to any severe issues but small amount of chocolate is also not good for a dog. Even white chocolate is also toxic for dogs as it contains high fat and sugar leve.

Q4.How much chocolate is harmful to a dog?

Ans.The toxicity of chocolate mainly depends on the amount of theobromine and caffeine contained in the chocolate and mass of your dog as well. Chocolates are poisonous to such an extent if consumed in high dosage may drag it to death.