Chocolate contains 2 substances which are both poisonous, a methylxanthines called theobromine, and caffeine. While these are safe for humans, Glyco Caremetabolic health support they cause vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, tremors, seizures, racing and irregular heart beat, sometimes death in many animals including dogs and Cats. Link to the Merk Veterinary Manual. It gives details of the actual damage done by caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine is also found in tea, cola, yerba Mate, Guarana and açai berries. Theobromine and Caffeine are similar chemically and are often found together. They act in similar ways as stimulants on the central nervous system and on the heart, circulation and respiration. This stimulant effect is one of the reasons humans like them so much. Repeated small doses of chocolates, such as a dog might get as a treat, can cause heart damage and eventually lead to heart problems. Caffeine and theobromine act much the same way but theobromine is more dangerous.
Chocolate and caffeine are often ingredients in pastries, sauces and drinks, and are not always very obvious. White chocolate does not contain very much toxic material however. Chocolate can come from many forms but few people expect their animals to be poisoned by garden mulch. Some area have access to garden mulch made from cocoa shell. This mulch contains enough theobromine to be quite toxic to dogs and cats. Some producers of Cocoa mulch claim to be theobromine-free and pet safe. Poisoning is quite dose dependent and a couple of chocolate chips are not likely to kill your dog though. Lethal doses of theobromine for a cat can be as small as 100-200 mg per kilogram of the cat’s weight. The dose of caffeine is listed as 150 mg per kg weight. Alcohol is a toxin and even small amounts can cause vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, coma or death. Few people will put a bowl of alcohol for their cats and dogs but they sometimes like to drink beer and can sneak up to an unsuspecting human and steal a drink from unguarded glasses.
As little as a tablespoon of Alcohol can cause severe liver and brain damage. Cats can be poisoned by absorption through the skin as well as from ingestion. Many products contain alcohol and it is also present in fermenting foods such as bread dough or old apples in the compost. Because cats don’t have the liver enzymes required to metabolize many toxins they cannot deal with aspirin and other Non Steroidal Anti-Inflamatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, ketoprofen, and many others. Aspirin causes ulceration of the stomach and small intestines. This causes internal bleeding and hemorrhage. The central nervous system is also affected. There have been reports of cats dying after being in contact with humans using flurbiprofen rub. So if you are using a rub on pain medication, don’t let the cats or dogs lick you and make sure you wash your hands before touching your animals. If it gets on the cat, clean it very thoroughly.
Never give a cat a medicine intended for humans or dogs. Grapes, raisins and currants can cause acute kidney failure in dogs and there is evidence that they may cause kidney failure in cats and ferrets as well. Not all dogs cats and ferrets are affected though. A very small dose can trigger a huge response. The mechanism for the toxic reaction is not well understood but it is known that peeling the grape is not helpful. It’s difficult to identify the exact reason raisins are dangerous because not all dogs and cats are sensitive, maybe not all grapes and raisins are toxic, or maybe it’s another reason. It could be a combination of factors such as something in the grape plus a spray used in the farm. Grapes, raisins and currents are often used in cooking, they can be found in butter tarts, muffins, carrot cake and other pastries, granola bars and fruit jellies. Although grape juice has not yet been identified as toxic it is a common sweetener for “no sugar added” products.
Ask a vet question’ have a page on toxicity of raisins for cats. They answered that there are case histories of cats getting sick after eating raisins but that it’s a rare occurrence. Cat poisoning might be rarer because cats rarely like eating raisins or grapes rather than raisin and grapes being safer, there is not much information. These foods are not deadly to cats but not a good idea. It’s different for dogs. Avocado is very toxic to many species including birds, fish, rabbits, goats, horses and cattle. Not much evidence exists that links avocado poisoning to dogs and cats. The chemical responsible is persin. Although there are many dire warnings on the internet, against avocado poisoning for dogs and cats, it is generally not considered very toxic for them and true cases of poisoning are rarely seen. It’s another story for birds though. You still can’t feed your guacamole to the dog or cat because there is almost always onion/chives/garlic either in the guac or on the chips, and these things are very poisonous.
