Heightened risk of canine chocolate exposure at Christmas and Easter

Chocolate has long been recognised as, and remains, a common cause of intoxication in dogs accounting for 25 per cent of acute presentations for intoxication. 1 2 Case numbers in Europe and the UK have been reviewed, mostly based on reports to poisons centres. 3-6 Chocolate toxicity results from the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary record 2017-12, Vol.181 (25), p.684-684
Main Authors: Noble, Peter-John M, Newman, Jenny, Wyatt, Alison M, Radford, Alan D, Jones, Philip H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
chocolate
Chocolate - toxicity
Christmas
Dog Diseases - chemically induced
Dog Diseases - therapy
Dogs
Electronic health records
Epidemiology
Halloween
Holidays
Humans
Narratives
Poisoning
Poisons
Risk
Short Communication
Software
Toxicity
Toxicology
United Kingdom
Veterinary medicine
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Summary:Chocolate has long been recognised as, and remains, a common cause of intoxication in dogs accounting for 25 per cent of acute presentations for intoxication. 1 2 Case numbers in Europe and the UK have been reviewed, mostly based on reports to poisons centres. 3-6 Chocolate toxicity results from the methylxanthine theobromine present in cocoa bean products, causing gastrointestinal (eg, vomiting), cardiovascular (eg, tachycardia) and central nervous (eg, agitation and seizure) signs. 7 Chocolate intoxication is mostly seen in dogs 6 8 and theobromine dose calculations based on the source of chocolate are well documented 7 9 and available online. 10 11 The current study reviews cases of chocolate exposure presented to a large sentinel network of UK veterinary practices between 2012 and 2017. Sources of chocolate included bars and boxes (often gift selections) of chocolate (35 cases), Easter eggs (31 cases), chocolate cake (22 cases), liqueurs (5 cases), chocolate rabbits, Santa Claus figurines, Advent calendars and Christmas tree decorations (10 cases), as well as one case involving a hot chocolate drink. Here the authors describe significant peaks of chocolate intoxication, most notably at Christmas and to a lesser extent Easter, presumably reflecting the enhanced availability of seasonally-related chocolate such as Easter eggs, chocolate Santa Claus figurines and Christmas tree decorations, possibly in the hands of younger members of society.
ISSN:0042-4900
2042-7670
DOI:10.1136/vr.104762