Here is a typical chocolate case:
Your job as a veterinary team is to turn this pile into the number of ounces of types of chocolate most likely ingested that you can convert to grams of theobromine to compare to the weight of your patient - who is either not saying when he or she tipped the basket/raided the stocking/tore open the Valentine box or is standing before you happy as can be with a chocolate smile and no signs of toxicity - yet? Ever?
That is what you need to figure out!
Also, do not forget to account for any xylitol in sugar free candy and gum and any toys or wrappers or other things that could have been ingested and cause stomach or intestinal damage or an obstruction.
Thankfully, this particular tiny dog, though he ate enough to cause vomiting and diarrhea, had no clinical signs and did well.
Worse case is a danger of neurotoxicity.
Worst case is a fatality.
Thankfully, I have never had a patient die of chocolate toxicity, and the most stressful part of every case has always been turning something as vague as something like this pile of wrappers into a number we can use to help our patient.
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Post from one year ago today...
April 27, 2016