Trivia
HardConsuming Chocolate Proves Fatal For Many Dogs Because Of Which Compound?
Answer: Theobromine
Many, if not most, of us have heard the caution against giving dogs chocolate and usually in the form of a very serious warning that even a small amount of chocolate could kill a dog. The warning isn’t a wive’s tale and chocolate is in fact very dangerous to dogs, but why?
Among the many compounds contained in chocolate such as caffeine and flavanol antioxidants, you’ll find the alkaloid compound theobromine. Theobromine is, when consumed by humans, harmless in dietarily-provided quantities and actually has known health benefits. It’s a mild stimulant, vasodilator, and diuretic just like it’s alkaloid-family sibling caffeine and has been both historically and presently used to treat heart problems and asthma. When consumed in the quantities found in even very rich/dark chocolate (regular quantities), it is impossible for humans to reach any sort of toxicity level with the compound, known as theobromine poisoning (but poisoning is possible if chronic or acute consumption of large quantities occurs).
The same cannot be said for dogs, however, as they metabolize theobromine at a much slower rate than humans. It takes as little as 1.8 ounces of milk chocolate to provide a fatal dose of theobromine to a small dog and 14 ounces can prove fatal to larger dogs. Dark chocolate contains up to 10 times more theobromine than milk chocolate and, thus, leads to acute toxicity in smaller doses.
What’s interesting is that dogs are not the only mammals for which theobromine is metabolized slowly enough to be toxic in small doses. The common domestic cat is also just as much at risk for death via chocolate consumption as dogs are, but because most cats lack sweet taste receptors, they are very disinterested in eating chocolate (as they only taste the bitter alkaloids and not the sweetness like we and our dogs do).
Trivia
HardIn Architecture, Structures Built For Decoration But Suggestive Of A Functional And Grander Purpose Are Called?
Trivia
HardIn Which Country Are Fried Tarantulas Considered A Delicacy?
Trivia
HardIconic Trivia Column “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” Began Life As?
Trivia
HardWhat Were Planes Detected With Before The Invention Of Radar?
Trivia
HardAn Entire Genus Of Spiders Is Named After The Cast And Crew Of Which Movie?
Trivia
HardWhich Of These U.S. States Is Known For An Architectural Detail Called A “Witch Window”?
Trivia
HardThe First Commercial Multicore Microprocessor Was The?
Trivia
EasyWhat Determined The Direction Of Clock Hand Movement?
Trivia
Very HardWhich 1980s Game Console Is Still In Active Production?
Trivia
Very HardBefore It Was Known As The Black Plague The Population Decimating Pandemic Was Known As?