April 2018
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37,230 Reads
Revista Electronica de Veterinaria
In the veterinary clinic of small species, chocolate poisoning now turns out to be a toxicological emergency. The objective of this work is to provide information about the pathology caused by ingestion of theobromine. The chocolate comes from the plant Theobroma cacao; cacao contains caffeine and a toxic compound called theobromine. This intoxication is due to the fact that dogs metabolize this substance more slowly than humans. The average lifespan of this compound in dogs is 17.5 hours. The lethal dose of theobromine for dogs is 100-500 mg / kg, at a low dose may appear mild signs (agitation and vomiting), at higher doses can be observed cardio-toxic effects and cause death in this specie. For the diagnosis of this process in dogs it is important to perform a complete physical examination, including blood tests, urinalysis and chromatography; these tests are important to determine if there is an overdose for theobromine.