Coffee Pods and Pepper don't mix

Meet Pepper.  He is a boisterous nine month old German Shorthair Pointer that mistook eight Nespresso coffee pods for play toys.  He came into our Blue Cross Clinic seizuring on the 25th of March.

Coffee pods are expresso concentrated coffee and are extremely toxic to cats and dogs.  The active ingredient is methylxanthine and dogs are much more sensitive to the effects of methylxanthine than humans.  Methylxanthine (present in chocolate and caffeine) can cause anxiousness, tremors, vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures, increase heart rates and affect heart rhythm.  If not seen immediately then ingestion can be fatal.  A dose of up to 60mg/kg of caffeine can cause seizuring and Pepper ingested 3 times that amount.  So make sure to store your coffee pods (and chocolate) in a safe place so your dogs and cats can't get into them.  If you have noticed your animal has ingested coffee, chocolate or the contents from a coffee pod ring your Blue Cross Veterinary Centre as it can be an emergency.