Chocolate and Teacup Chihuahuas!

Recently, I have come across a few questions about whether is it ok to feed chocolate to teacup chihuahuas.

There you are, sitting on the sofa with your tea cup chihuahua sitting next to you. You break off a piece of chocolate from the bar and suddenly you have this furry little face pressed up against yours, looking longingly at your chocolate. What would it hurt just to give her a small piece? Nothing bad would happen, right?

My recommendation to you would be to resist those sad eyes. Chocolate is not good for your tea cup chihuahua (in fact for dogs in general).

There are 2 compounds present in chocolate which can spell trouble for teacup chihuahuas. These are caffeine and a compound called theobromine, both of which are found in cocoa beans. Of the two, theobromine is found in higher concentrations in cocoa beans than caffeine.

The actual amount of theobromine and caffeine present in the chocolate depends on the type of chocolate you are munching on. For example, dry cocoa powder has the highest concentrations of theobromine and caffeine (0.8 g of both compounds in one ounce of powder)per ounce, while milk chocolate contains 0.06 g of theobromine and caffeine per ounce. White chocolate has the lowest amount of cocoa in it and so has relatively low levels of these compounds.

But why are these compounds dangerous?

Theobromine in particular is removed from the dog’s bloodstream very slowly and so hangs around for a significant period of time (around 18 hours). During this time, theobromine can damage your tea cup chihuahua’s heart and kidneys.

Obviously, the more chocolate teacup chihuahuas consume, the greater the risk of theobromine causing damage.

Based on data from the ASPCA’s poison unit, significant toxic effects can be seen around 0.05g of theobromine per kg bodyweight of you teacup chihuahua. Since teacup chihuahuas tend not to weigh very much (in the order of a few pounds), I’m sure you can see that she wouldn’t need to consume very much of it to cause your tea cup chihuahua a serious problem.

What are the signs of chocolate poisoning?

Your tea cup chihuahua may exhibit signs of increased excitability and general restlessness. You may also see vomiting and diarrhea. If your tea cup chihuahua exhibits any of these symptoms after eating chocolate, have a vet assess her as soon as possible.

In summary, if you want to give your teacup chihuahuas a treat (and let’s face it, who stops at one tea cup chihuahua?) break open a bag of doggie treats instead!

Quite apart from chocolate, there are a number of other things that can be dangerous to dogs. Here are some additional resources for you to learn more!

• Poisonous Food For Dogs – Pet Health Forums – Dogs Health Big or small, fat or skinny, puppy or senior! Discuss all things related to Dog’s Health here! Dog illnesses are a very serious thing to deal with. Let’s help each other find the best course of action. Here is a list and some talk about things you should never feed your dog.