Chocolate and Gliders

The issue of sugar gliders and chocolate has become, from what I have seen, a huge debate. Most people, and especially the veterans of the sugar glider community, will tell you chocolate is completely and totally fatal to gliders while others may say "my glider ate chocolate and was just fine." While everyone is so eager to say chocolate is toxic, my questions becomes.... why? 

The truth is; chocolate CAN BE fatal to not just dogs, cats and other animals but to humans as well. I have spent the better part of my morning doing some research on why chocolate is toxic. I am, by no means an expert, a veterinarian or a scientist but this is what I have found;

Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine. We are all pretty aware of what caffeine is and the effects it has but to make it more clear, I will explain in detail. 
Caffeine is a crystalline compound plant product and is defined as a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system. 
Theobromine is a bitter, crystalline alkaloid extracted from the leaves and seeds of the cacao plant and is closely related to caffeine. In medicine, theobromine is used as a diuretic and nerve stimulant.
Chocolate poisoning is actually the overdose reaction to the theobromine contained in the chocolate. The amount of theobromine in highly refined chocolate is lower than the amounts in dark chocolate or unsweetened bakers chocolate. As a rule, the darker the chocolate, the higher the content of theobromine. 
Animals of all kinds process theobromine at a slower rate than humans which puts a greater strain on the nervous system and kidneys. 
If large amounts of chocolate, or theobromine, are consumed the danger is the high fat and sugar content. High fat and sugar content can sometimes cause life threatening pancreatitis and gastrointestinal illness. 

So, again, chocolate CAN BE toxic but let's clarify. The threat is not just the fact your glider, or other animal, has consumed chocolate but also how much they consumed and the type of chocolate, whether it was milk chocolate, dark chocolate, etc. These factors all play an extremely important role in the effect it will have on the animal. If your glider has gotten into your secret stash and ate one or two bites chances are he/she will be fine but if they ate a larger amount the chances of overdose are much greater. Should your glider have chocolate? Of course not but if accidental ingestion occurs, we should try to find out how much they consumed.

Here are some things to watch for and most commonly occur within 12 hours of ingestion;
* excitement, nervousness, trembling
* vomiting/diarrhea
* excessive thirst and/or excessive urination
*muscle spasms
* seizures
*coma (this is rare)
* death (this is also rare)

Obviously, if your glider has eaten chocolate, the first and most important step to take would be contacting your veterinarian immediately. Be prepared to advise the vet of approximately how much the glider ate and what type of chocolate it was.

Once again, thank you for reading my blog.

Happy Gliding to All!!