Diet dangers for your dog

• Reprints

Buddy, a beagle/Jack Russell mix belonging to Jim and Donna Krofta of New Lenox, found out the hard way that chocolate makes dogs very sick. | Submitted photo

Updated: February 11, 2012 8:08AM

During a sleepover at his “uncle’s” house, Buddy, a 4-year-old beagle/Jack Russell mix, indulged in a post-holiday feast: three bags of chocolate nibs, a bag of flour and a bag of powered sugar.

Luckily, Buddy vomited all over the house.

“The vet said that’s one of the things that saved him,” said Buddy’s owner, Donna Krofta of New Lenox.

Krofta immediately retrieved Buddy and brought him to an emergency facility where Buddy, whose stomach was still distended, received medication to induce more vomiting and deactivated charcoal to bind the poison in his system.

While chocolate, even in large amounts, won’t hurt most humans (unless one is allergic to it), dogs are particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine and to theobromine, a chemical compound in chocolate that dogs metabolize slowly, according to pets.webmd.com.

“Buddy is only 31 pounds,” Krofta said. “The amount of chocolate he ate could have poisoned a gazillion dogs.”

The initial problem stems from Buddy’s pica, a disorder which compels him to eat anything and everything within sight. Krofta scrupulously keeps food out of reach and sends Buddy to her son’s house if she has a party that involves food.

“Once he starts eating, he cannot stop,” Krofta said. “We literally have to watch him like a hawk. You cannot turn your back on him.

The baking supplies Buddy devoured were actually concealed in a locked cabinet, which Buddy managed to open with his mouth and nose, Krofta said.

Buddy vomited twice more at the vet’s, then remained overnight for monitoring. The next morning, when Krofta called to arrange pickup, she learned Buddy’s heart rate was still erratic, so discharge was delayed another 24 hours.

“When he came home, he slept the entire day,” Krofta said. “He was just exhausted from being so sick.”

Krofta hopes Buddy’s experience warns other dog owners of the dangers of human food. While dogs naturally enjoy receiving treats — and their “parents” enjoy bestowing them — what’s good for the owner is not necessarily good for the pet.

Safe doggie treats, according to pets.webmd.com, include lean meats; slices of apples, oranges, bananas and watermelon (first remove seeds, stems and leaves); carrot sticks, green beans, zucchini and cucumber slices and plain baked (not raw) potato; and white rice and pasta.

“Not everyone realizes that five or six M&Ms can make a dog really sick,” Krofta said. “If your dog eats a Hershey bar, you’d better call the vet.”