Chocolate Equals Death

Luckily chocolate does not equal death for me. But for certain members of the family, of the canine variety, chocolate is not the best choice for a main dish. Or even a side dish. 

Chocolate can be lethal to dogs, which is why they tell you to never give your dog chocolate. Obviously dogs will find small scraps here and there on the floor and they live to tell the tale, but large amounts can be fatal.

(music starts as we take you back in time...)

It was a lovely Sunday. Pearl had chosen cake balls for her FHE treat and we had made them and decorated them and they were on the counter cooling and letting the chocolate set. It was time for us to go play Brain Strian, so as usual, we made sure everything was out of the way of the dog. Both trays were put on the island and everything was cleared off the table. 

Nova had been getting into a lot of things that week, so I had been telling the kids to leave her outside if possible. I wasn't the last one out of the house, so I didn't know if anyone put her out.

As we reached the Hulse's, I asked the kids, "Did someone put Nova out?" They were all too far away to hear, and all I received was some non committal mumbling. "Well, don't be surprised if you come home to find all the cake balls gone," I joked.

If only it had been a joke. When we got back home, Nova looked very guilty. We found she had thrown up in two rooms of the house and almost an entire tray of cake  balls gone. I had no idea she could get up on the island by way of the stools, but apparently, she just needed the right motivation.

It was lucky that she threw up. But it wasn't going to be enough. Without some medical attention, she probably wouldn't make it. She had eaten over three times the lethal amount of chocolate.

Tyler is not one to pay money for an animal, but his compassion took hold and he forked out the cash and took her to the Pet ER. They gave her medicine to make her throw up even more and they gave her charcoal to help absorb the toxins in her system. Eventually they also gave her medicine to help her stop vomiting. However, when she got home, she still threw up a bit more. 

It was really scary. I figured it would work its way out of her system eventually, but Tyler is sure she would have died if we hadn't taken her in. Chocolate causes seizures, collapse, a coma or death from a heart attack in dogs. And Nova definitely ate enough chocolate for that, even though she wasn't displaying those symptoms when we got home.

It was a rough night for her, but you could tell she felt better after getting home from the doc. She slept and drank a lot of water. 

We now have a better idea of which surfaces she can reach and we are much more careful about what is left anywhere in the house. Although I would be fine if we got rid of Nova, that particular way is not how I want her to go. And as you'll be able to tell from future Chatbooks, Nova is doing fine and is still very much a part of the family.