why is the chocolate....?

Question

deadly to dogs? what happens if ur dog eats it? is it like posion?

Answer 1

It's not the chocolate itself that is harmful but the coco contained in the chocolate. It raises the heartbeat in the dog and if a high enough quantity is consumed it can cause the heart to accelerate out of control causing a heart attack. Below is a chart of the different chocolates and the amount needed to be toxic. I have seen a dog consume a large quantity of inexpensive chocolate with not apparent side affects however since it puts a strain on the heart I wouldn't recommend even giving your dog "save amounts" of the stuff.

Knowing which chocolate is the most toxic is important, but leaves one wondering how much must be eaten to poison a dog. The list below 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.

Answer 2

Chocolate & caffine poisoning is more common then most think. Cooking, baking, candy, landscaping (with cacao shells), white, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate are all toxic to dogs (as well as other small mammels). Before you worry about your dog dying from chocolate, there are a few things you have to consider....
-what kind of chocolate the dog ate
-how much chocolate the dog ate
-how big the dog is
The type and amount of chocolate a dog eats compared to the weight of the dog is the only thing to consider. For instance, if a 100lbs dog ate a dark chocolate bar he'll have a little diarrhea and be "wired" for a few hours. But if a 10lbs dog ate the same chocolate bar, they could suffer from high blood pressure, irregular/fast heart beat, nervousness, excitement, tremors, seizures, and ultimately coma. Panting and urinary incontinence (pees everywhere withough control) are also possible. Death occurs within 6-24 hours with ACUTE exposure. With chronic ingestion (over several days), death may result from cardiac failure.
The stronger the chocolate, the higher it's toxicity level to dogs. Milk chocolate is somewhat toxic, while bakers chocolate (or fudge) is highly toxic. Death can occur with any size dog, it just depends on what type and how much they ate. Taking your dog to your veterinarian within 2 hours of eating chocolate will help emensely! They'll induce vomiting, give activated charcoal (to suck up the toxin), give fluids to rehydrate, and monitor your pup for any signs of chocolate toxicity.
I hope this clears up your question! :)

Answer 3

Seriously, how much chocolate would a normal sensible human being feed a dog at one go?
Chocolate does have toxic effects on dogs...
only if taken in large quantities
but a candy or two is hardly likely to cause death and destruction!
My 4 yr old spitz loves chocolates (she loves everything edible) and once a while I do treat her to the occasional eclair or candy. She is a fine healthy animal and has never shown any signs of discomfort after eating chocolate.
Too much of ANYTHING is bad not just for our pets but for us as well. What would happen if you had a whole bagful of Hershey's all by yourself at one go?
You'd fall sick!
Same with your dog. The occassional treat is ok. Don't overdo it and both you and your pet will be fine. It's just plain common sense really.
If you want to learn more , Visit www.talktothevet.com and look up the aricle Chocolate Toxicity in Dogs, with focus on the section dealing with 'Toxic Levels'.

Answer 4

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.

wait. does white choco have the least? cuz the dog trainer person said that dark has more so wudn't light have the least??

Answer 5

The thing is that dogs, if they were in the nature, would not have so much sugar in their diet, so giving dogs a piece of practically concentrateed sugar is quite bad. You won't see the effects immediately, but it's like eating chips all the time, they're tasty and you don't feel sick, but in the long run it's pretty bad for your health.
Dogs find chocolate tasty, so they'll eat it all the time, so you should be vigilant. Take care of your dog if you love it!

Answer 6

There is some chemical in it that is very dangerous to dogs. My mastiff got into an Easter Basket, and ate a chocolate rabbit, about 8 inches of solid chocolate. The vet said to watch for diarrhea (yup) and upset stomach. He said as bad as it is, dark chocolate is the worst. She was sick for about 48 hours. Diarrhea, eating grass and then throwing up, but we were lucky. It could have been worse.

Answer 7

There is a chemical in chocolate theobromine and it is poison to dogs. There is more of it in dark and baking chocolate than in milk chocolate. They do not always die from eating it but if they eat enough one time can kill the dog.
There are treats that dogs like far better tahn chocolate anyway.

Answer 8

bakers chocolate one of the ingredents dont recall the name in Chocolate in large amounts can kill dogs but 2 be on the safe side never let a dog come in contact with any kind of chocolate.
There is a pet treat at walmart and pet stores thats chocolate and mint for your dog it gives them fresh breath and it taste like chocolate try this its safe.

Answer 9

Its only bakers chocolate that can harm a dog...it has something to do with it being more "natural" then the normal eating chocolate

Answer 10

Im not sure if it will really kill them, but i still wouldnt give it to them because i have no idea. What i do know is that dogs (and cats) are lactoesintolerant, which means they cant have dairy products, which includes chocolate because chocolate contains milk, ( mainly milk chocolate , duh, <--that duh was to me ). My vet told me that if you do give a dog (or a cat) a whole bunch of dairy products they usually only get the runs, ( you know what i mean by "runs". I would ask your vet before you do anything else, or before you listen to me.