We start getting panicked phone calls from pet owners about their dogs eating chocolate, fruit cake and other delicious treats that are considered off limits to our 4-legged friends.  Of course the obvious point to make is to keep these items away from your pet.  However, we know from experience this can be next to impossible because our pets have both the sense of smell and the ingenuity to find things even the most curious child could not.  If you are planning on giving baked goods or boxes of chocolate this year be sure to keep them FAR out of reach from your pets. 

Depending on what your dog consumed the treatments vary.  Milk chocolate is far less toxic than dark or bakers chocolate.  Toxicity is measured in the amount of chocolate consumed versus the weight of the animal.  Milk chocolate is dangerous in 1 lb. increments per 10 lbs. of the dog's body weight.  If your Golden Retriever ate the 1 lb box of milk chocolate See's candy for your Aunt Hilda the dog is unlikely to show any adverse reactions.  If your Yorkie did the same it would be cause for a vet visit.  Signs to look for include vomiting, more than one instance of loose stool and loss of appetite. 

Treatments range from an injection to reduce nausea and diarrhea to an IV and hospitalization for severe cases.  In addition to edible no-no's the holidays also expose our pets to shiny, colorful objects that look like toys such as ornaments and tinsel.  If you think your dog or cat ingested an item like that your pet needs x-rays immediately because foreign, non-digestable objects are serious cause for concern.