This is Graham, my wonderful (most of the time) Jack Russell Terrier.  We brought out the chocolate fountain for our hospital Christmas party and you can see who was most helpful at the post party cleanup.  As you may know, Jacks are very quick and this can get them into trouble.  Since this is a common event around the holidays, I thought that I would use the occasion to discuss chocolate toxicity in dogs.  Graham, by the way, is fine.
The signs of chocolate toxicity depend upon both the size of the dog and the amount (and type) of chocolate ingested. A small amount of milk chocolate may have no effect at all, while an ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate can be fatal to a 10 pound dog.  Clinical signs usually occur within 6 to 12 hours after feasting. Initial signs include increase thirst, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, and restlessness. Signs progress to hyperactivity, increase urinations, weakness, tremors, and seizures. Other effects include rapid heart rate, heart arrhythmias, rapid respirations, cyanosis, hypertension, hyperthermia, and coma. Because of the high fat content of many chocolate products, pancreatitis is a potential secondary problem 24 to 72 hours after eating. Death is generally due to cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory failure.
White chocolate has very low amounts of theobromine, the offending ingredient in chocolate, so while not an ideal nutrient for dogs, it is not toxic.

Compound                                           Theobromine
(mg/oz)                          Caffeine
(mg/oz)
White chocolate                                  0.25                                                          0.85
Milk chocolate                                     58                                                             6
Dark, sweet chocolate                        130                                                           20
Semi-sweet chocolate chips              138                                                           22
Baker/s (unsweetened) chocolate   393                                                           47
Dry cocoa powder                               737                                                           70
Instant cocoa power                           136                                                           15
Cocoa beans                                         600                                                          NA

Based on ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) experience, mild signs occur in animals ingesting 10 mg/lb of theobromine and caffeine, severe signs are seen at 20-25 mg/lb, and seizures occur at 30 mg/lb. Accordingly, less than 1 oz of milk chocolate/lb is potentially lethal to dogs; for baking (unsweetened) chocolate, less than 0.1 oz/lb is potentially lethal.

The situation for cats to develop swine flu appears to be somewhat worse than it is for dogs.  Unfortunately we had one of the few diagnosed cases of H1N1, “swine flu”, in a feline patient, which did cause death.  The patient arrived in the morning and worsened   rapidly throughout the day.  He was transferred to a critical care facility that night but passed away despite very aggressive treatment.  The owners were not showing clinical signs of influenza but one of the owners was a nurse in a human hospital and the suspected source of infection for our feline patient.  We still expect, and hope, that there will not be many cases of swine flu in our feline companions, but because of the possibility of human to feline transfer, I would recommend using the same precautions that are used to prevent human to human transfer, with our companion animals, if a family member is suffering with the H1N1 virus, to prevent the unlikely transfer to our feline family members.

Moist Cough and Runny nose- does my dog have the “Swine Flu”?  Not likely.  There have not been any recognized cases of swine flu, H1N1, in dogs in the United States, only 2 cases in dogs in China as of December, 2009.  There have been many cases of the Canine influenza virus, H3N8, in dogs since it was first recognized in 2004.  In the mild form, the most common clinical sign is a cough that persists for 10 to 21 days despite treatment with antibiotics and cough suppressants. Most dogs have a soft, moist cough, whereas others have a dry cough that is similar to that induced by a kennel cough like infection. Many dogs have a purulent nasal discharge and a low-grade fever. The nasal discharge is usually caused by secondary bacterial infections.  Some dogs are more severely affected with clinical signs of pneumonia, such as a high-grade fever (104°F to 106°F) and increased respiratory rate and effort.  The death rate has ranged from 0% to 5%.  Higher case fatality rates have been reported in small groups of racing greyhounds that developed hemorrhagic pneumonia during outbreaks.

In May 2009, the USDA approved the licensure of the first influenza vaccine for dogs developed by Intervet/Schering Plough Animal Health Corporation. The canine influenza vaccine contains inactivated whole virus of H3N8.  We are not currently recommending use of the vaccine at DNVH but would change that recommendation if changing conditions warranted.  In the four years since the virus was first recognized, we have not diagnosed any cases of canine influenza at DNVH, nor have any other local hospitals.

inks to more information about canine influenza
Control of Canine Influenza in Dogs: Questions, Answers and Interim Guidelines (AVMA)
Canine Influenza: Podcast by Dr. Cynda Crawford (AVMA)
Key Facts about Canine Influenza (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Canine Influenza: Frequently Asked Questions by Dog Owners (University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine)
Canine Influenza Fact Sheet (Iowa State University)
Canine Influenza (University of California-Davis Shelter Medicine Program)
Canine Influenza Virus: Detection, Sampling and Statistics (Cornell University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory)

Have you heard about the recent Swine Flu case in cats and dogs?  The Influenza A Virus subtype H1N1, aka “swine flu”, has infected over 450,000 people in the United States, causing 10,000 deaths as of late December, 2009.  The H1N1 virus has crossed species and apparently infected both dogs (in China) and cats (in the States).  There have even been a few deaths in felines in this country (see the following blog).

I expect that few veterinarians will see, or recognize, dogs and cats with the H1N1 virus. Far more common nationally in dogs, although so far uncommon in Southern California, is the canine influenza virus, H3N8.  It was first recognized in Florida greyhounds in 2004.  It is suspected that the canine influenza virus was a mutation of the equine influenza virus, and is extremely contagious in dogs.