Christmas, dogs and avoiding a chocolate catastrophe

While many of us look forward to indulging in large quantities of Christmas chocolate, it’s worth remembering that some of your favourite foods at Christmas could be deadly for your dog.

I realise that’s a rather sober thought for the festive season but this is a definite case of ‘better to be safe than sorry’. I mean while you’re enjoying the gentle haze that’s a result of a lot of good food and wine, how can you be sure that your dogs not secretly wolfing down the kids Christmas chocolate stash?

The answer is to make sure that everyone in your household – especially the visitors who might not have dogs themselves – knows that chocolate can be a killer and that all chocolate is kept well away from dogs. Keep it up high, hidden, locked up – whatever it takes because I’ve known dogs to take chocolate from inside a child’s Christmas stocking!

I went around a party recently asking the question “Is chocolate bad for a dog?” and about 40% of people didn’t realise how dangerous it was. In fact one person thought it must be good for them as they’d seen special chocolate dog treats advertised.

The chocolate we eat is poison to a dog. In fact the higher the cocoa content, the more poisonous it is. So your best chocolate is the worst thing possible for your dog.

If your dog does get hold of chocolate (and it happens more often than you think), get in contact with your vet. While a couple of squares of a popular brand chocolate bar is not likely to cause any long term damage, it is impossible to say exactly how much it takes to cause disastrous effects as all dogs are different.

It happened to a friend I was staying with last New Year – she only realised what had happened when her dog Rusty started running manically round and round their living room (hyper activity is a side effect), which was followed by severe diarrhea (another side effect). It’s not something you want to be dealing with on Christmas Day and it can leave some very unpleasant memories!

And when Maisie (ironically a chocolate Labrador) wolfed a box of chocolates that had sat in the same place for at least two weeks and which up until then she had completely ignored, Dave was given a stark choice by the vet; an expensive injection to make her sick – or hope for the best. He wasn’t taking any risks – who would?

Chocolate isn’t the only food that could spell catastrophe for your dog this Christmas – did you know that just a handful of grapes or raisins can cause kidney failure? Which definitely puts your Christmas Pudding on the danger list too.

To make sure you all have a very happy Christmas this year keep all the things we consider a treat well away from your dog – that means more for you and a healthier, happier dog.

About the author

Tony Knight uses his unique understanding of dogs to help owners create happy, well behaved dogs using natural, non-aggressive methods – and without the need for any expensive gadgets. For regular free training tips go to http://www.tony-knight.co.uk

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