2006-09-30 00:17:56 · 30 answers · asked by feehilan 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
My dog loves chocolate, but I keep it far, far away. It is the theobromine in chocolate that is poisonous to dogs.
Frome "Dog Owner's Digest"
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.
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.
2006-09-30 00:34:33 · answer #1 · answered by Ronnie D 2 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Tell that to the dog in our local pub.
2 or 3 times a week one of the regulars comes in, the dog is all over him until he gives her a couple of bars.
What a waste!
Maybe I should try the same things, so he'll buy ME some chocolate ...
2006-09-30 09:47:33 · answer #2 · answered by david4thelord 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I can't believe some of the answers here! What's wrong with you people?! Chocolate contains something that dogs don't have the right enzyme to digest - it can and does KILL them.
2006-09-30 07:26:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Not all chocolate is bad for dogs, they can eat cooking chocolate. Most other chocolate cannot be eaten by them as there is a ingredient which is poisonous to them. A small amount won't harm them though.
2006-09-30 07:34:32 · answer #4 · answered by gizmo-570 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
it can calls liver damage. it could take a wile to become toxic. but if you dog has another problem or more sensitive to the chocolate. death can come quick. chicken bones are a danger also. they splinter easy and can ca us chocking or other problems.including constipation. not good it you have a pitbul or rottie. this problem can cause man or beast to become irritable :-)
2006-09-30 07:44:35 · answer #5 · answered by mydaph_dog 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Quite a few dogs are allergic to chocolate. It can make them sick enough with vomiting and diarrhea that they get dehydrated and die. Or, some have anaphylactic (or extreme allergic reactions like some humans have to bees or peanuts) reactions. Because the allergy gets worse with each exposure and you can't know where your dog falls, it is best not to give it at all. One of our dogs has no problems when he gets into chocolate, but the other has horrible vomiting and diarrhea. She used to do fine with chocolate, but I think she got into the kisses one to many times!
2006-09-30 07:21:58 · answer #6 · answered by tallnfriendlyone 3 · 2⤊ 4⤋
It contains theobromine. Our digestive processes can deal with it, but dogs can't. It slows their heart and I think it damages their kidneys too.
Raisins and raw onion are bad too.
2006-09-30 07:25:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
Because their livers cannot correctly process the chocolate and so toxins are released into their body.
2006-09-30 07:22:51 · answer #8 · answered by tonytucks 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Because it contains an ingredient called 'Theobromine' which dogs cannot process and it is toxic to them. It can cause heart failure.
2006-09-30 07:22:43 · answer #9 · answered by fenlandfowl 5 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Hello Jennifer.
Chocolate is a poison for animals and humans alike. To prove it if you eat a lot of it you find yourself getting sick and you have a sore head.
Tribesmen used Coco on the tips of their weapons to kill animals many years ago.
Thank the Lord I'm a luckyhedgehog.
Take care xx
2006-09-30 07:25:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋