Hudson ate a bag of peanut m&m's...eeekkk

[Hudsons~Mom]

I came home yesterday and found a open bag of peanut m&m's...I wasnt sure if he took it out of the garbage becasue I have many a bag hidden around here as I am suffering from a addiction to m&m's...anyway last night he was running around all happy and whatnot...then I came home today and he had thrown up a bunch of food and peanuts....do you think he is going to be okay? He is still bright and bouncy....should I take him to the vet?

[Dax]

I would not go unless they start showing signs of poisoning

The the first signs of chocolate poisoning are vomiting and diarrhea, increased urination and nausea. These can progress to cardiac arrhythmias and seizures.

This site has great information on the subject
http://www.apogeevideo.com/drkevin/chocolate.html

[Dax]

You could phone an ER Vet clinic or even mine (they are still open) and ask them for more information on what to look for and what to do.

[Bosley Slave]

A vet call should be made with any chocolate consumption. The only good thing is the quality of the chocolate is poor with M&M's, the better the chocolate the worse the danger. Also the size of the animal. Once it is eaten the vet can give your dog something to make it **** the chocolate out. I always have a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide on hand, you can give this to the dog and it makes them **** too. Once it is digested it goes into the bloodstream.

I found this on the web:

The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. This is a xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine, and theophylline.

Toxic Levels

The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider like the individual sensitivity, animal size and chocolate concentration.

On average,
Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per oz.
Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz.
Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz.

Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as:
1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate.

So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems.

Clinical Signs

Xanthines affect the nervous system, cardiovascular system and peripheral nerves. It has a diuretic effect as well. Clinical signs:

Hyper excitability
Hyper irritability
Increased heart rate
Restlessness
Increased urination
Muscle tremors
Vomiting
Diarrhea

Treatment

There is no specific antidote for this poisoning. And the half life of the toxin is 17.5 hours in dogs. Induce vomiting in the first 1-2 hours if the quantity is unknown. Administering activated charcoal may inhibit absorption of the toxin. An anticonvulsant might be indicated if neurological signs are present and needs to be controlled. Oxygen therapy, intravenous medications, and fluids might be needed to protect the heart.

Milk chocolate will often cause diarrhea 12-24 hours after ingestion. This should be treated symptomatically (fluids, etc..) to prevent dehydration.

If you suspect your pet has ingested chocolate contact your Vet immediately! They can help you determine the the proper treatment for your pet.

[Dax]

Great Post ... I'm going to add this to the Health links.

[EmmaGirl]

I would only worry about the vomitting and agree that a call to the vet is in order.

Great post Bos!!!

[carrie79]

Better to be safe than sorry and call. How big was the bag? Are we talkin like a mini bag or like a BIG bag?

[EllyMay]

I did the calculations a long time ago for this. The results are that
1) for milk choclolate, a dog has to eat 60% of his/her own weight to get the toxic dose
2) for dark choclolate, a dog has to eat about 16 % of his /her own weight to get the toxic dose
3) for baking choclolate it is about 9% of the dog's weight
This assumes that the toxic does is 125 mg theobromine per 1 kg of the dog's weight, and values of 6 mg /oz theobromine in milk chocolate, and 22 mg/oz in dark and 40 mg/oz in baking chocolate.
So really the chocolate poisoning is not as much of a danger as you might think. It is more likely that they get sick from the sugar and fat and chemicals that are added to it.

[Moo]

My 16 pound Kirby ate 12 mini-sized kit-kat's & coffee crisps after Halloween one year, and 7 kinder egg surprises shells at easter; he didn't even flinch.

Yes, he has a problem, but he never suffered any toxicity.

[aqh88]

It depends on the individual dog. We had a little rat terrier when I was growing up that loved chocolate and would get at least one andes mint a day. She lived to be 17years old and never showed any signs of chocolate poisoning or even an upset stomach. My aunt's retriever will get sick from just licking part of a candy bar and if he actually ingests any chocolate has to be rushed to the vet. The toxicity has been different for every dog I've known.