Keracunan Coklat (Theobroma Cacao) pada Anjing: Manajemen Terapi dan Pencegahan

Chocolate poisoning has long been recognized as a common cause mostly in dogs, although many species aresusceptible. Contributing factors include indiscriminate eating habits and readily available sources of chocolate.In general, the poisoning resulted from a lack of public knowledge of the health hazard to dogs that may beimposed by these products. Chocolate is derived from the seeds of the plant Theobroma cacao, and the main toxiccomponents are the methylxanthine alkaloids theobromine and caffeine, causing gastrointestinal, cardiovascularand central nervous signs. Diagnosis is based on history of exposure, along with clinical signs. Amphetamine orcocaine toxicosis, and ingestion of antihistamines, antidepressants, or other CNS stimulants should be consideredin the differential diagnosis. Stabilization of symptomatic animals is a priority in treating chocolate toxicosis.Although there is no specific antidote, supportive management includes induction of vomiting and administrationof activated charcoal, oxygen, and intravenous fluids. Preventing exposure is the key to reducing the incidenceof these poisoning episodes. Therefore, it is important to increase the knowledge of dogs owners with regard tofoodstuffs that must not be fed to dogs and should be stored outside their reach. This paper aims to briefly describethe clinical symptoms, treatment and prevention of chocolate poisoning in dogs