is vegan chocolate bad for dogs?

Question

i know that normal chocolate is extremely bad for dogs, so would vegan chocolate be bad, too?

Answer 1

If by vegan chocolate you mean carob; carob is safe for dogs.
If by vegan chocolate you mean chocolate made without milk (an animal product); it still has REAL chocolate (or cocoa) in it and therefore is poisonous to dogs. Read your label carefully.

Answer 2

If its made from ground up cocoa beans, then yes, its toxic to dogs. Cocoa beans contain Theobromine, which is the chemical that triggers the release of endorphine in people causing the feel good reaction to chocolate, but in dogs its a toxin that can destroy their liver, as their liver just wasnt made to process it like peoples. Most foods and drinks eg coffee and a few others, that are made up of ground beans, not legumes, will have some sort of effect on people that releases a feel good hormone, are just not good for dogs, their livers just werent built for that sort of thing in the wild.

BTW it is safe in some small doses, depending on your dogs weight and breed, some dogs have more of a reaction than others, but say you have a 60lb dog, giving a little bit, one square of a block of milk chocolate, is ok if only no more than once a week. It works out at roughly 1ounce per 1 pound of body weight for milk chocolate to be deadly to dogs, but thats just a rough guide, it varies from dog to dog, so its best to either never give a dog chocolate or if you are, just a small amount as an occasional treat. I am fairly sure that if you have a 60 lb dog tho, you arent going to be giving it 3.5lbs of chocolate anyway, i know i wouldnt.

Answer 3

There are better snacks and treats for dogs that sweets and human foods. Try raw carrot sticks, an apple stick (not the core or peel).
If you use shop bought treats check the label first. A lot of them have sugar among the main ingrediants.
And don't assume that anything vegan or human food must be safe for your dog; TVP and soya protein are not good for dogs and neither is maize. None of these should form more than 10% of the dogs diet, and they can't digest the protein from them properly so don't rely on them as a source of protein.

Answer 4

Depends on what's being advertised as vegan chocolate. Carob is fine for dogs to digest and won't kill them. It may make their stomach upset however due to any sugar added to the carob to make it sweet. However some vegan chocolate is just dairy free, but it still contains Cocoa. This is still very toxic to dogs. Read labels carefully...

Answer 5

The problem with chocolate for dogs is the cocoa liquor (not what you think of as liquor). The harmful ingredient in cocoa liquor (a main ingredient in the brown chocolates) is a compound of the cacao plant called theobromine. Thus, cocoa consumption in dogs can lead to theobromine poisoning or chocolate poisoning. Cocoa is only found in the two brown chocolates--milk and dark--NOT in white chocolate. Contrary to popular belief, the bad part is not the milk, as many other dairy products can safely (but not wisely) be consumed by dogs. I don't know what you mean by "vegan chocolate", but I imagine it is just made with soy instead of milk, in which case it would be no different than regular chocolate because it still has cocoa. If you're referring to carob, it would be fine to give to your dog as it is used as a chocolate substitute because it looks very much like chocolate in color, taste, texture, etc. and is actually used quite often in many specialty treats found at dog bakeries. Remember since it is cocoa that is bad for dogs, white chocolate is safe for dogs because it does not contain cocoa liquor, only cocoa butter which does not contain the toxic theobromine ingredient.

Answer 6

The chocolate in the chocolate is what the problem is - not the milk. SO if the vegan chocolate contains actual chocolate, then yes, it's bad for dogs.

Answer 7

It's the theobromine in the cocoa bean that is toxic for dogs.

Since theobromine occurs naturally in cocoa beans, it is present in all chocolate products.

Dogs metabolize theobromine very slowly. As a result, theobromine can have a serious effect on the animal's heart, kidneys and central nervous system.

It carries the same risk as a dog's consumption of other common household items such as coffee, tea, cola beverages and certain houseplants.

Answer 8

Chocolate is not good for dogs because some type of product they put into it, vegan chocolate probably still isn't good for dogs, if possible I'd avoid giving it to your dog.

Answer 9

YES. Chocolate is vegetarian, it's only when cadbury, mars &c add things to it that vegetarians disapprove. The thing in Chocolate that poisons dogs is Theobromine, a compound similar to caffeine. I was once told that a yorkie bar could kill a yorkie, so occasional bits probably don't present a problem

Answer 10

I dont know of any links but i make my own dogfood. I use 500gram (1pound) of minced beef, 1 sheep or ox liver, 1cup of rice, 1 cup of pasta chopped vegetable 2 to 3cups includes peas beans celery, celery leaves pumkin sweet potato and 1 large potato diced. My dog can always find the carrot unless i shred it. add 2 stock cubes cover with water bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Dogs of all sizes find this very palatable and most vets will agree this is a suitable meal