Question

Triage: For a dog, any dose of chocolate containing theobromine at 40 mg/kg or above should be considered potentially life-threatening. If Hershey, an 80-pound Chocolate Labrador, ate 15 ounces of milk chocolate (60 mg theobromine/ounce), how much theobromine did he consume? What is the toxic chocolate dose for Hershey? Is the amount he ate toxic?

a) 600 mg; 40 mg/kg; Yes
b) 1200 mg; 80 mg/kg; No
c) 900 mg; 30 mg/kg; Yes
d) 800 mg; 50 mg/kg; No

Answer 1

Hershey consumed 900 mg of theobromine after eating 15 ounces of milk chocolate. The toxic dose for Hershey, who weighs 80 pounds (about 36.3 kg), is 1452 mg based on the 40 mg/kg threshold. Therefore, the amount he consumed is not toxic for him.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves calculating the amount of theobromine an 80-pound dog named Hershey consumed after eating 15 ounces of milk chocolate, and determining whether that amount is toxic based on a known toxic dose level (40 mg/kg of the dog's body weight).Hershey consumed 900 mg of theobromine (15 ounces × 60 mg/ounce). Since the toxic dose for Hershey is 40 mg/kg and he weighs 80 pounds (which is approximately 36.3 kg), the toxic dose in mg for Hershey can be calculated as 40 mg/kg × 36.3 kg, which is 1452 mg. Comparing the amount Hershey ate (900 mg) with his toxic dose (1452 mg), we can conclude that the amount he ate is not toxic (No).The correct answer is therefore option b) 1200 mg; 80 mg/kg; No, although there is a minor discrepancy in the calculation provided in the options. The calculation we performed yields 900 mg rather than 1200 mg, but the conclusion that the amount is not toxic (No) remains correct based on the given toxic dose level. Therefore, the closest option to the correct calculation, while stating the non-toxic result, is b).