Ned ate hot chocolate mix

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SnowyShiloh

SnowyShiloh

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Ned, my 2 1/2 pound bunny, got into the kitchen garbage, pulled the lid off a canister of hot chocolate mix, and was eating it when I found him. I don't know how much he ate but he is covered in the powder. Cocoa is the 4th ingredient listed on the can, after sugar, whey and corn syrup solids.

Will he be ok? I'm going to stuff him full of veggies to try to dilute it! How long until he's out of danger? I feel so bad :( Normally I hear him whenever he goes into the kitchen but I didn't this time. I'm usually much better at keeping tabs on them, I thought he had gone back to his cage because that's where he was about half an hour ago!
 
I doubt the chocolate won't hurt him much, its pretty diluted, but the sugar isn't great either.

Watch for tummy upset and diarrhea. I wouldn't feed him anything but hay, you're not diluting the chocolate as much as you're adding to the carbs.

Hang tough, I've got more info around here somewhere.


sas
 
Pipp, what about thinly sliced celery and lettuces? I was thinking of veggies that have a lot of water and few calories like those. Thanks for looking up info for us!
 
I really doubt the chocolate will be a problem, it's dark chocolate that's quite toxic, milk chocolate and mixes like that don't have a lot of Theobromine. A rabbit has to eat a few ounces to do damage.

However, the sugar really can be just as bad because if can send him into a pretty serious case of cecal dysbiosis, and you really have to stick to hay and water for that.

Be ready with SubQ fluids, Simethicon and Critical Care. I'm not sure about an antibiotic or a pro-biotic, maybe Randy or somebody can comment on that.

How's he acting right now?


sas :?
 
You don't want him to have anything that will promote the 'diarrhea' (which will be the cecal dysbiosis), the fluids will be needed to replace any that he loses via his output and to keep him from getting shocky if he does have a reaction. The fluids in veggies will only promote the dysbiosis.

Watch carefully for signs of an upset.

The chocolate MAY cause seizures, tremors, increased heart rate, etc, but I really don't think it will. I don't think he could have come close to digesting enough cocoa, but watch for those signs.

I really think the issue will be a digestive upset if it gives him problems. The sugar will feed 'bad' bacteria and cause an imbalance.

Was he still eating from the package or trying to lick off the powder? He must have looked a fright!

Hope he's okay.


sas :pray:
 
Thanks, Pipp! See, that's why I love the forum, I would have fed him lots of veggies otherwise and could have hurt him :( He ate it over an hour ago and is acting normal so far. The canister was from last year and about half full, so there was plenty for him to eat. Actually only his head and front had powder, I dusted him off. He smelled good. I think I'll have to call him my chocolate bunny now.

Good thing is I found the lid, and it was really chewed up, which to me means he had to chew it for quite a while. He was probably in the kitchen for 10-15 minutes.

I will definitely be keeping an eye on him and push the water and hay! I will have all the simethicone and Critical Care ready. He has never shown signs of an upset tummy from eating anything, so that's good. The vet opens in 6.5 hours so I will call the vet and give her a head's up.

Thanks so much, Pipp!
 
You'll have to watch him like a hawk for a couple of days.

Re: the chocolate, watch for increased thirst, any change in his output, signs of increased body temperature (have your taken his temp before?), increased breathing, tremors, anything like that, get him into anywhere you can ASAP if he shows any of those signs.

Re: the sugar, watch for lethargy, poopy butt or no poops, 'bunny loaf' behaviour, etc.

In both cases I imagine he'll need SubQ fluids and maybe Toxiban, which is I believe an activated charcoal anti-toxin med to counteract the chocolate, and one that is also recommended by some vets for certain gut imbalances as well.

This is from a Vet's website:

http://www.swanimalhospital.net/html/infosheets/rabbitinfo.html

Enterotoxemia (Bowel Disease):

This is an intestinal upset caused by loss of normal intestinal bacteria with resulting overgrowth of harmful bacteria such as Clostridium. These are present in small numbers normally, but when abundant they produce toxins which absorb into the body causing shock and death. Disruption of the intestinal bacteria is the underlying problem; common causes include sudden diet changes, sugary items like fruit, high protein items like oats and alfalfa, low roughage diets lacking in hay, antibiotic usage (especially penicillins), or other diseases and stress (especially if fasting occurs). Mild bowel upsets may cause slight stool softening; severe cases have appetite loss, sometimes watery or mucoid diarrhea, and severe weakness. Treatment includes bacterial supplements (milk-free acidophilus, veterinary probiotics, or healthy rabbit fecal slurry) to reload the bowel with harmless bacteria. Bowel stimulants (Reglan) may help bowel function. Toxin binding drugs (Peptobismol, Toxiban) may help prevent absorption of bowel toxins into the body. Kaopectate and blackberry leaves may firm the stools. Forcefeeding roughage may help. Banamine can reduce pain and cramps. Severe cases need IV fluids and heat provided. Antibiotic usage is usually avoided. Severe cases can progress to coma and death within hours. If your rabbit is lethargic, not alert or eating, or acts uncomfortable or "hunched up" seek veterinary care immediately! Feed a high roughage diet with lots of hay & minimal treats to help avoid this disease.

You'll probably hear some people agreeing with these treatments and some not, as always.

I personally hadn't thought about treating an imbalance issue with Toxiban and whether the imbalance always leads to toxic issues (Enterotoxemia, enteritis), but something to keep in mind.

Here's a bit more of an explanation (although it still doesn't answer my question).

http://www.exoticpetvet.net/smanimal/rabbit.html

Antibiotic therapy can cause a dangerous shift in the bacterial organisms normally found in the rabbit's gut. This is referred to as dysbiosis. In fact, almost all of the important GI problems in rabbits are, directly or indirectly, related to disruption of the rabbit's hindgut bacterial flora. Spore-forming anaerobes, consisting mostly of Clostridium spp. and coliform bacterial species such as Escherichia coli, increase as the population of normal organisms decreases. This can occur with antibiotic therapy, reduction of fiber in the diet, increased carbohydrates and with disruption of the normal GI motility. Changes in the pH of the cecal contents can also support the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Enterotoxemia can occur from Clostridium spiroforme, and enteritis may occur from E. coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas and Campylobacter-like bacteria.

Probably more info than you need to know! Its good that Ned is not prone to upsets.


sas :goodluck:
 
Pipp, thank you so much! It is good to know exactly what to look for. I hope he'll be ok! It's been 4 hours. He's acting normal so far but I'm afraid to go to sleep.
 
Woo hoo Pipp for a timely response! I was definitely sound asleep on this one.

All I have to add is that a dose of Bene-Bac or Probios would be a good idea, if he'll take it. Hay and water is good for now to eat. Some pedialyte might not be bad either, if you have it.

As for seeing if the chocolate has done any toxic damage-type stuff, I'd do the pupillary dilation test. Hold him down and look at an eye under low light. Then quickly flash a light in that eye and watch the pupil contract. If it's not doing it at a normal rate of speed (you can use other bunnies for a reference), he could be having some neurological issues related to chocolate toxicity. He may also walk strange, or sit still and move his eyes around funny. I also doubt that he got enough to cause damage. My guys have eaten more chocolate than I'd like to say on one particularly irresponsible incident--I left a bag of Dove Dark Chocolate Promises on a table that just happened to be close enough to jump to from the couch by superbunnies, and they were fine. Of course I keep a closer eye on my chocolate now.

Good luck!
 
Claire, I am thankful for Pipp's quick response too! It was very helpful. Your advice is great too, I did the test and he seems normal. He's acting like his regular self so far and it has been 16 1/2 hours since he ate the chocolate powder.
 
SnowyShiloh wrote:
Ned, my 2 1/2 pound bunny, got into the kitchen garbage, pulled the lid off a canister of hot chocolate mix, and was eating it when I found him. I don't know how much he ate but he is covered in the powder. Cocoa is the 4th ingredient listed on the can, after sugar, whey and corn syrup solids.

Will he be ok? I'm going to stuff him full of veggies to try to dilute it! How long until he's out of danger? I feel so bad :( Normally I hear him whenever he goes into the kitchen but I didn't this time. I'm usually much better at keeping tabs on them, I thought he had gone back to his cage because that's where he was about half an hour ago!
Click to expand...
well,cocoa is not on the balanced diet list,,but you can encourage him to drink lots of water and hay ie..timothy/orchard grasses,,iam south of seattle,wa.,its 8:45 pm/thurs,/.should be 1 hr.difference or 7:45pm your time//.rabbits do tend to get into things/very inquisitive/.how are your computer,headphones,chargers,extension cords...all in good shape/mine have all been replaced a couple times,,don,t understand 120 ac should electracute the poor things/i buy plastic tubes and tape them on the high voltage cords//gennerally stops them//.i also found fruit tree branches are much more preferable tro chew on...hope this helps,..sincerely james waller:wave:
 
Good news is Nedders is still acting fine! How long do I have to be worried about this incident? It has been 2 1/2 days.
 
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