Chocolate

[Mossfinn]

I was told today that you mustn't give your dog Chocolate as it is a poison to them.

I know your not meant to give them a lot as it is unhealthy but I have never heard that it is actually poison, as I have two small Chihauhaus, I am very concerned.

We don't give them much but when we are munching on some small Belgian bite sizes we always share with the little one's.

Can someone confirm this or please blow it out of the water,

A much concerned

Moss

[mitmig]

Not only chocolate, but also grapes and raisins are poison for your dogs . There is a lot about the subject on the internet for example http://ezinearticles.com/?Grapes,-Nuts,-an...id&id=20315

[Mossfinn]

Not only chocolate, but also grapes and raisins are poison for your dogs .

Thanks for prompt reply mitmig, I hope we havn't done any damage thru ignorance, they seem fine and very happy.

Cheers

Moss

[britmaveric]

Dark chocolate is bad for dogs, but apparently they'd have to ingest pounds of it in one sitting to do any damage. Stick to milk and should have no issues.

[udon]

ALL chocolate is poison to dogs.

[udon]

I agree, but have you priced choc in Thailand....... Poison is cheaper.

[Farma]

What are the doggie treats chocolate made from? I've seen it in pet shops.

[thaigerd]

Dogs have a totally different alimentary system as a human being, that's why their system cannot handle that kind of stuff.

I am glad my Rotti does not like chocolate, sausages etc, our boxer does

Gerd

[bina]

our boxer is a counter cruiser and israeli children's fave food is creamy choco spread on bread: boxer pigs out, throws up all over the place and thats that...

but chocolate is poison, there is a chemical in it that is poison; btw, onions are also on the list

but they have to ingest massive amount really (pre size of dog), carob treats are like chocolate but most animals can eat the carob candies ...

[geoffphuket]

My old cross Labrador back in the Uk loved chocolate doggy treats…he ate them all the time and they were a great aid whilst he was being trained.

I don’t know what was in them but he lived until he was 17… I still miss him, what a great companion he was.

geoffphuket

[The Skipper]

My neighbors dog died after eating a bag of chocolate Hershey Kisses candy.

[chownah]

My neighbors dog died after eating a bag of chocolate Hershey Kisses candy.

That's too bad. People should learn a lesson from this.

[sbk]

dog treats are probably made from carob, a chocolate substitute.

Chocolate is poison for dogs and for a small dog like a Chihuahua I would be esp careful as they wouldn't need to injest pounds to die, being the little small pups that they are

[britmaveric]

Dunno my dogs have always eaten choccie and never hurt them at all. My german shepherd was 20 when she died.

Take your dog to the vet if it has consumed an ounce of chocolate per pound of body weight. So literally I'd have to feed my pooch 80oz of choccie in a sitting to do harm.

-moderation no problem, just don't feed them lbs of choccie and your dog will be completely fine.

Current dog loves malt teasers!!!

[Mossfinn]

ALL chocolate is poison to dogs.

Thanks Udon, they are never getting another choccie treat.

Moss

[Mossfinn]

but chocolate is poison, there is a chemical in it that is poison; btw, onions are also on the list

but they have to ingest massive amount really (pre size of dog), carob treats are like chocolate but most animals can eat the carob candies ...

Thanks Bina and Thaigerd for the replies

Moss

[Mossfinn]

Sorry to hear that Geoff and Skip.

Moss

[Mossfinn]

Chocolate is poison for dogs and for a small dog like a Chihuahua I would be esp careful as they wouldn't need to injest pounds to die, being the little small pups that they are

Thank you SBK, no more choc for them.

Brit, thanks for the advice, but I am not going to take even a small risk.

Good luck and thanks for the prompt replies.

Moss

[chownah]

What about artificial chocolate?....my guess is that cheap chocolate confections contain only a very small percent of chocolate and perhaps none at all.

chownah

[Nickerelastic]

I can't imagine why anyone would feed a dog chocolate.

[britmaveric]

I can't imagine why anyone would feed a dog chocolate.

Well simply put its called sharing.

[Mossfinn]

I can't imagine why anyone would feed a dog chocolate.

I can't imagine not wanting to, well before posting this topic that is.

[fourbaht]

Dunno my dogs have always eaten choccie and never hurt them at all. My german shepherd was 20 when she died.

Take your dog to the vet if it has consumed an ounce of chocolate per pound of body weight. So literally I'd have to feed my pooch 80oz of choccie in a sitting to do harm.

-moderation no problem, just don't feed them lbs of choccie and your dog will be completely fine.

Current dog loves malt teasers!!!

My shitzu loves maltesers as well brit.. eats them when ever he can, I really never knew chocolate was bad for him.. he is going to be very depressed, the rustle of a chocolate wrapper gets his attention at 200m

[sbk]

A friend of mine's dog nearly died after consuming a chocolate easter bunny, convulsions, vomiting the whole thing. Fortunately for the dog the extreme vomiting brought on by eating a large amount of chocolate kept him from digesting too much of it and saved his life. It was a big dog too, btw.

[MiG16]

this is really interesting info to know....as I always shared everything I eat with my dog...and ofcourse my diet consists of regular chocolates!! luckily for her..she didnt seem to have suffered from any of the chocolate or other sugary stuff in her diet. lived to be a healthy 20.5 terrier....she also enjoyed cheese and a few other human food only thing that she did enjoy but was banned from eating (mainly cos it was also banned for the humans of the family) is durian!!! yuk!! that was the only thing my dog likes that I cannot for the nerve of me figure where she acquired such a taste!!

[stuxv]

Cheese is a great treat for most dogs, especially when training them, however the pieces should be really small, it is not for food , just the taste for the dog. Large quantities of cheese can be bad for the digestive system of dogs.

It is fine to give dogs doggy chocolate, it not the same stuff as human choccy [taste it and see]. To a dog though it tastes the same.

Also never give your pooches the fat off meat you might have cooked, it buggers up their arteries a lot faster than ours.

[Dave the Dude]

What are the doggie treats chocolate made from? I've seen it in pet shops.

Hav'nt you ever tried them.The last thing they taste of is chocolate. They are made to make the dog OWNERS feel good, not the dogs

[sbk]

dog treats are usually made of carob, aren't they? Carob is a well known chocolate substitute for people who can't eat chocolate either. Not that bad, I think.

Also, a good article about why chocolate is bad for dogs from dog owners digest:

The problem, according to veterinary experts, is that eating a speck of chocolate leads a dog to crave more. It can mean that your dog will jump at a opportunity to get any type of chocolate, not knowing that certain chocolates are more lethal than other types. Larger amounts of chocolate, particularly of the most toxic type, can bring about epileptic seizures in some dogs, and in all dogs, can kill.

Poisoning of dogs by chocolate is not as uncommon as you might think.

"Chocolate ingestions are one common reason why pet owners and veterinarians call us," said Dana Farbman, Certified Veterinary Technician and Manager, Client and Professional Relations, ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. "However, it would be difficult to verify an exact ranking in frequency of calls, as the types of substances we receive calls on can vary greatly depending on many factors, including the time of year. We generally do experience somewhat of a rise in chocolate calls around holidays, such as Halloween, Easter, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.

Why is Chocolate Lethal?

Chocolate contains theobromine. A naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean, theobromine increases urination and affects the central nervous system as well as heart muscle. While amounts vary by type of chocolate, it's the theobromine that is poisonous to dogs.

Symptoms of Chocolate Dog Ingestion and Poisoning

You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there's increased absorption of the toxic substance, you'll see an increase in the dog's heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting.

This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.

How Much Chocolate Is Deadly?

If a 50-pound dog eats a teaspoonful of milk chocolate, it's not going to cause serious problems. However, if that same dog gorges himself on a two-layer chocolate cake, his stomach will feel more than upset and soon it's likely he'll be vomiting or experiencing diarrhea.

To answer the question "How much is too much" is not simple. The health and age of your dog must be considered. Obviously if your dog is aged and not in top shape, his reaction to a plate of chocolate is going to be different from a young healthy dog of the same weight.

Another fact that must be considered is this: Not all chocolate is the same. Some has a small amount of theobromine; another type has a large amount and still another contains an amount that is somewhere in between. The quantity has a relationship with the weight of your dog. Small dogs can be poisoned, it is easy to understand, from smaller amounts of theobromine than large dogs.

Which chocolate is the safest, relatively speaking? White chocolate. It has the least amount of theobromine: 1 mg per ounce. Far on the other side of the spectrum is baking chocolate, which has a huge 450 mg of theobromine per ounce!

Here are a few other chocolates for you to ponder: hot chocolate, 12 mg of theobromine per ounce; milk chocolate, 60 mg/oz; and up there near baking chocolate: semi-sweet chocolate with 260 mg/oz.

You might try using this to remember these chocolates from least to most toxic: What Happy Moose Says BAA? Or: White-Hot-Milk-Semi-Baked. If you have a better way to remember, contact us!

Knowing which chocolate is the most toxic is important, but leaves one wondering how much must be eaten to poison a dog. The list in this box should be helpful. Maybe you can clip it and post it on your refrigerator?

* White chocolate: 200 ounces per pound of body weight. It takes 250 pounds of white chocolate to cause signs of poisoning in a 20-pound dog, 125 pounds for a 10-pound dog.

* Milk chocolate: 1 ounce per pound of body weight. Approximately one pound of milk chocolate is poisonous to a 20-pound dog; one-half pound for a 10-pound dog. The average chocolate bar contains 2 to 3 ounces of milk chocolate. It would take 2-3 candy bars to poison a 10 pound dog. Semi-sweet chocolate has a similar toxic level.

* Sweet cocoa: 0.3 ounces per pound of body weight. One-third of a pound of sweet cocoa is toxic to a 20-pound dog; 1/6 pound for a 10-pound dog.

* Baking chocolate: 0.1 ounce per pound body weight. Two one-ounce squares of bakers' chocolate is toxic to a 20-pound dog; one ounce for a 10-pound dog.