A median lethal dose (LD 50) is the dose of a toxin required to kill half of a sample population. Severe signs begin at about 40 mg/kg and seizures can begin at 60 mg/kg. What exactly is a high dose of methylxanthines however depends on your dog.Īccording to the ASPCA mild effects of theobromine poisoning can be seen at a dose of 20 mg/kg. So, what does this mean for your dog who ate a chocolate bar? It means they will feel nauseous and probably vomit, they’ll have a high heart rate, diarrhea, show signs of hyperactivity and, if they consumed a high dose of methylxanthines, tremors, seizures and possibly death. Luckily dogs don’t often consume the fruits that harbour these compounds, however, if Marmaduke ever eats a jar of marmalade as well as some chocolate, he would be in serious trouble. These compounds aren’t exclusive to grapefruits: they’re also found in pomelos, bitter oranges and Seville oranges that are used to make marmalade. Without properly functioning enzymes, medications aren’t broken down as they should be, and overdoses can occur. This is due to compounds in grapefruit interfering with the P450 enzymes. If you’ve heard of these enzymes its likely because you take a medication that is similarly affected by them (such as Viagra, Cialis, Erythromycin, Xanax and many others) and you’ve been warned to stay away from grapefruit juice.
The enzyme responsible for metabolizing theobromine is a member of the cytochrome P450 family. Methylxanthines inhibit these sleepy feelings and act as stimulants. These receptors are generally responsible for making us feel sleepy, and decreasing the activity of our bodies. Primarily, they inhibit the activation of adenosine receptors. While they’re in the blood, methylxanthines have a few effects. While dogs reach peak serum (the non-cell part of blood) levels of caffeine after 30-60 minutes and eliminate half of an ingested dose in 4.5 hours, they don’t reach peak serum levels of theobromine until after 10 hours and take 17.5 hours to eliminate half of it. Part of what makes methylxanthines so dangerous to animals is how slowly they process them, in particular, theobromine. These two chemicals are, structurally, almost identical, and both belong to a group of chemicals called methylxanthines. The components of chocolate that are toxic to dogs are theobromine and caffeine.
If chocolate is so bad for dogs, why are these candy-consuming canines fine?īecause, as with all things, the dose makes the poison. However, there are also many, many dogs who eat chocolate (with or without their owner’s knowledge) who are perfectly fine, no treatment necessary. (As an aside, if they say grains, don’t listen to them.) Dogs' inability to safely consume chocolate is common knowledge, but thanks to their proclivity for eating anything they can get their mouths on, many dogs are nonetheless treated for ingesting chocolate every year. If you ask a dog owner what dogs cannot eat, they’ll list some foods like onions, garlic, rhubarb, grapes and chocolate.
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