Why is chocolate bad for dogs?

Answer 1

It turns out that, for dogs, a chemical in chocolate called theobromine is the source of the problem. Theobromine is similar to caffeine.theobromine is toxic to a dog when it ingests between 100 and 150 milligrams per kilogram of body weightDifferent types of chocolate contain different amounts of theobromine: It would take 20 ounces of milk chocolate to kill a 20-pound dog, but only 2 ounces of baker's chocolate or 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate. It is not that hard for a dog to get into something like an Easter basket full of chocolate eggs and bunnies and gobble up a pound or two of chocolate. If the dog is small, that could be deadly. It turns out that chocolate poisoning is actually not as unusual as it sounds. For a human being, caffeine is toxic at levels of 150 milligrams per kilogram of body weight .That's the same as for dogs! Humans generally weigh a lot more than dogs, but small children can get into trouble with caffeine or chocolate if they consume too much of it. Infants are especially vulnerable because they don't eliminate caffeine from the bloodstream nearly as quickly as adults.

Answer 2

Chocolate made for human consumption can cause death in dogs. Dogs are sensitive to a class of chemicals called methylxanthines. Caffeine and theobtomine are members of that family. Dogs simply cannot metabolise and excrete methylxanthines as efficiently as humans. The half life of those compounds in the human body is in the order of 2 to 3 hours, in the dog it is more like 18 hours.
In a dog the compounds are taken up by the liver and transmitted via the bile into the intestine. They are then converted back into the original methylxanthines for another circuit through the animal. This repeats itself a number of times and instead of getting rid of the substances the dog keeps repoisoning itself-

There are many formulations of chocolate with varying amounts of caffeine and theobromine. The lethal dose of sweet milk chocolate for a dog is 2 oz per kilogram of bodyweight. For a 5 kilogram dog this would be about 280 grams. A lethal dose of milk chocolate for a 25 kilogram would be about 1.4 kilograms.

Dark chocolate is at least 10 times as lethal. A 25 kilograms dog could die from the methylxanthines in 5 ounces.

Symptoms include vomiting, hyperactivity, restlessness, hypersensitivity to touch ( a dog will jump when touched very rapid heartbeat and rapid breathing rate. A loss of control of leg muscles, muscle tremor seizures, general weakness, coma and finally death follow.

IMO it would be a tragic mistake to encourage a dog to develop a taste for chocolate. A small dog left alone in a house with a box of chocolates might well follow his nose to the goodies and commit suicide by poisoning.

Answer 3

It is not chocolate itself that is poisonous to dogs, it is the theobromine, a naturally occuring compound found in chocolate. Theobromine causes different reactions to different dogs: dogs with health problems, especially epilepsy, are more affected by theobromine than healthy dogs. Theobromine can trigger epileptic seizures in dogs prone to or at risk of epilepsy. The size of the dog will also be a major factor: the smaller the dog, the more affected it is by the same amount than a larger dog. Therefore, toxicity is described on a mg/Kg basis.

Furthermore, theobromine can cause cardiac irregularity, especially if the dog becomes excited. Cardiac arythmia can precipitate a myocardial infarct which can kill the dog.

Theobromine also irritates the GI tract and in some dogs can cause internal bleeding which in some cases kills them a day or so later.

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

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 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.

Answer 5

Chocolate have a large amount of sugar in them, they make the dog crave more & more. For some little dog, chocolate could kill them. If you wanna learn more go ask the Veternerian

Answer 6

Chocolate contains theo bromine that will attack and crystalize in the kidneys of dogs. It is Toxic. While some dogs can survive small amounts (my golden downed about thirty malted milk balls without incident) but it is best that they never have it. Remember, also, that the effect is cumulative. As little as 4oz. of baker's chocolate can kill a smaller dog, like a chihuahua or pomeranian.

Answer 7

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?

List of 4 items

. 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. list end

Answer 8

It's an old wives tale? That this time may be more whoop-la than fact. But they always have research to back up even B.S. My Grandparents had poodles once & their favorite treats were M-n-Ms. They lived to ripe old ages! :)
*****But I wouldn't recommend giving chocolate to your doggies cuz some may have a bad reaction. There's enuf other treats out there!*****

Answer 9

Chocolate is toxic for dogs, and can cause liver damage as well as lots of other things, grapes, land lots of indoor and outdoor plants,

Answer 10

they can't process the caffine the way that we can, and even a small amount can cause a dog to have a heart attack. chocolate is deadly to a dog!