With the sheer amount of chocolate in our households it is no surprise that on occasion a dog will get his teeth in to some chocolate. Chocolate as you should know by now is poisonous to your dog causing muscle spasms, seizures, excitement, vomiting, diarrhea, coma and sometimes death; however, death does not always occur in dogs who eat chocolate and in fact your dog COULD be fine; however, I don’t recommend allowing your dog ANY chocolate and I certainly don’t recommend overlooking a dog who has eaten chocolate.

So what should you know about chocolate?

On average it takes 100-150 mg of theobromine per pound of the weight of your pet to cause toxicity

White chocolate contains 1 mg of theobromine per ounce 

Milk chocolate contains 60 mg of theobromine per ounce 

Semi-sweet chocolate contains 150mg of theobromine per ounce

Cocoa bean mulch contains 255 mg of theobromine per ounce

Baking chocolate contains 450 mg of theobromine per ounce

Dry cocoa powder contains 800 mg of theobromine per ounce

Humans are readily able to process and eliminate theobromine which is why it is not toxic to us; however, our dogs and other animals are not quite as able to process theobromine and eliminate it from their system. The half life of theobromine in dogs is approximately 17 1/2 hours.

While a few chocolate candies are not likely to cause toxicity in your dog (depending on a variety of factors, this may not be true for your dog) it is not safe to feed your dog chocolate under any circumstances. If you think your dog is experiencing toxicity from chocolate consumption or if you know that your dog has consumed a mass amount of chocolate you MUST get him to an emergency vet immediately, if you catch the chocolate consumption within four hours of consumption an emetic will be given to induce vomiting else activated charcoal will be used in dogs more than four hours after consumption.

Why is my dog gaining weight when i’m feeding him what the bag tells me to? Many people have asked me this question and usually the answer is a simple one, individual dog foods give individually catered feeding sizes for that kibble; however, this feeding information is based on the average dog with an average activity level. While the bag of food may give your dog a feeding recommendation of 3 cups a day this information is based on a dog the size of yours who gets an “average” amount of activity, so if your dog is something of a couch potato or even if he is already overweight to begin with then he does not fit the build of an “average” dog.

Some things to take in to consideration if your dog is gaining weight when being fed by manufacturers feeding guidelines:

Your dogs health – is he already overweight? If so you will need to lower his food intake by consulting your vet on how much to cut from your dog’s daily recommended allowance.

Your dogs eating habits – are you feeding your dog treats and table scraps? If so then this is going to increase your dogs caloric intake for the day as well and as a result his weight could increase in no time!

Your dogs activity level – is your dog considered average on the activity scale? If you have a sedentary dog, just like a sedentary person he is going to be prone to weight gain, increase that activity and decrease the amount of extra weight your dog has to carry around!

Your dogs health (2) – have you taken your dog to the vet lately? Have you taken him again since the weight gain? There are certain medical conditions that cause and contribute to canine obesity, if you can find no reason why your dog should be gaining weight (ie: he’s active and eats a moderate amount and no table scraps) then you should consult your vet immediately for a blood panel and physical examination!

Dogs aren’t much different from people when it comes to eating portions and metabolism, they must stay active and eat a moderate amount without consuming too many treats or else your little Rover can become a big Rover in no time!

So your vet has informed you that your beloved canine is overweight and that you need to bring his weight down in order to prevent many of the risks that obese dogs face…where do you begin? Your vet will be able to give you a personalized plan to help your dog lose weight based on your dog’s medical history; however, below are some suggestions that will help you help your dog to drop those extra pounds. Keep in mind that while most breeds have a “healthy range” for their weight, this healthy range will vary depending on many personal factors to your dog, a good example of this is Jet’s hip dysplasia. Since Jet suffers from hip dysplasia by recommendation of his vet I keep his weight slightly lower than other Labrador Retrievers of his stature to prevent added weight load on his already suffering joints. Stature is another thing to keep in mind when watching your dog’s weight, just because you have a Labrador Retriever, this does not mean that your dog should fall directly in to “x” weight category, he may be taller or shorter than the average Labrador or he may have medical problems like Jet, that require his healthy weight be lower or higher than the breed averages.

Some great ways to help your dog drop some pounds include:

Substitute all of those high calorie treats that you buy in the stores with healthy alternatives like baby carrots, just make sure that your healthy substitutions are not toxic to your dog! Keep in mind that one medium Milkbone is 40 calories added in to your dog’s diet, a baby carrot is 3!

Reduce the amount of treats your dog receives in a day, your dog is just as happy with praise and playtime as he is with treats. I make a point to give Jet one treat a day, one baby carrot before bed, other than this he will get one baby carrot after weekly ear cleaning or nail trimming because these are particularly rough times for us.

Exercise, exercise, exercise! While it’s true that the colder weather brings more reluctant pet owners to hide indoors there are plenty of exercise tricks you can do with your dog indoors, encourage him to fetch in the house, teach him to “find” objects which encourages searching throughout the house, bundle up and suck it up – take shorter walks outdoors a couple of times a day, get your dog to doggie daycare, have play-dates with friends and their dogs…there are plenty of creative ways to encourage your dog to exercise!

Teach your dog to “leave it”. Many dog’s pick up either food they find or food that you drop on the floor while preparing your own meals, teaching your dog to “leave it” will prevent him from snacking on those high cal bits and pieces he comes across at his level.

DO NOT feed table scraps, keep your dog on a high quality kibble or a BARF diet and keep your baby carrot treats to a minimum. Table scraps are not only higher calorie foods for your dog but they are also foods that your dog will have trouble digesting.

Switch your dog to a raw diet. After researching everything you can on feeding a raw diet you will find that the raw diet may be the best option for you and your dog. A raw fed dog naturally weighs less because they are not packed so full with filler foods such as all of the carbohydrates that kibble companies puff their kibble up with!

If raw dieting isn’t an option for you invest in a higher quality kibble with higher quality grains or no grains at all . Always switch food gradually though, never make an immediate switch as this will upset your dog’s tummy.

If you are already feeding your dog a high quality kibble, chances are that you are feeding too much of it. Dog’s generally need to eat less high quality kibble than they do low quality kibble because the food is more enriched with adequate nutrition for you dog as opposed to eating junk kibble interspersed with nutritional elements. Try cutting your dog’s kibble feedings by 1/4 cup a day for medium to larger dogs (30lbs+) and try to space feeding out between two feeding times daily. Smaller dogs can also have their diets reduced however this is a more delicate process because they are so small, it is recommended that you talk to your vet before reducing your smaller dog’s daily feeding amount to make sure you do not end up underfeeding your dog. Just remember that those recommendations on the back of your kibble bag are based on “averages” not on your dog.

Feed at consistent times, not only will your dog appreciate the schedule and consistency but it will also help to regulate his digestion.

It is your job as your dog’s parent to help him maintain a healthy physical fitness level, by being a lazy dog owner you are setting both yourself and your dog up for heartbreaking and painful problems down the road. It doesn’t take much effort to help your dog to stay healthy, just a little common sense and a willingness to walk around the block. A healthy weight for your dog is one in which you can see his waist but not his individual ribs, your dog should never look like a well packed sausage and if he does it’s time to take action!

Many people give their dog’s treats to show how much they appreciate them and while it is one way to reward good behaviour and show your dog you care, the truth of the matter is that your dog is just as happy with praise and a little extra playtime! You have heard over and over again that over feeding your dog and giving too many treats results in obesity and you know that an obese dog isn’t healthy but why exactly isn’t it healthy?

There are many side effects that come from being an obese canine, below you will find just a few.

Diabetes

Decreased lifespan

Poor coat quality

Gas

Joint damage

Constipation

Reproductive problems

Inability to perform simple tasks such as taking a walk

Higher risk of cancer

Liver Function problems

Lower Quality of Life

Digestive Disorders

Heart disease

Higher incidence of dermatological problems

Inability to withstand heat

High blood pressure

Decreased efficiency of the immune system

Higher risk of complication during surgery or anesthesia

Wheezing and decreased ability to breath

So next time you think about giving your fur kid an extra treat for being good, grab a ball and play a little fetch or give him a belly rub instead – you’ll both be happier for it!