Why are chocolate, onions and grapes bad for dogs?

Answer 1

Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. When affected by an overdose of chocolate, a dog can become excited and hyperactive. Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhea are also common. The effect of theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theobromine will either increase the dog’s heart rate or may cause the heart to beat irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include: vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, hyperactivity, irregular heartbeat and seizures.

Larger quantities of chocolate can poison or even kill a medium or large dog. An ounce or two of chocolate may not seem like much but it can be lethal to a small dog that weighs 10 lbs. or less. After their dog has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.

Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog sick. The next most dangerous forms are semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate, however the high amount of fat found in milk chocolate can lead to an attack of pancreatitis.


1 ounce per pound of body weight (2 ounces per kg of body weight) for milk chocolate.
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight ( 1 ounce per 1.5 kg body weight) for semi-sweet chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight ( 1 ounce per 4 kg) for baker's chocolate.

During many holidays such as Christmas, New Year's Day, Easter and Halloween, chocolate is often accessible to curious dogs, and in some cases, people unwittingly poison their dogs by offering them chocolate as a treat or letting them lick aAlthough the minimum lethal dosage is not known, grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities. The symptoms are gastrointestinal signs including vomiting and diarrhea, and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion. The amount of grapes eaten varied between 9 oz. and 2 lbs., which worked out to be between 0.41 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight. It has been reported that two dogs died directly from the toxicity, three were euthanized due to poor response to treatment and five dogs lived.

Due to the severity of the signs and the potential for death, the veterinarians at the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) advocate aggressive treatment for any dog believed to have ingested excessive amounts of grapes or raisins, including inducing vomiting, stomach pumping and administration of activated charcoal, followed by intravenous fluid therapy for at least 48 hours or as indicated based on the results of blood tests for kidney damage.
frosting bowl.
Onions cause hemolytic anemia, which means that the red blood cells break down leaving the dog short of oxygen. Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. The condition generally improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion. The poisoning may occur a few days after the dog has eaten the onion. At first dogs affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhea, weakness and show little or no interest in food. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected dog's urine making it dark colored. The dog will experience shortness of breath because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number. Other symptoms are elevated body temperature, confusion, and increased heart rate. Seek veterinary care immediately.

The quantity of onions, raw or cooked, required is high enough that dogs can generally tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of onion without apparent signs of onion poisoning. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.

Answer 2

chocolate conatins a chemcial called theobromine, which is toxiv to dogs. Different dogs have different tolerances and if its a small dog, they only have to eat a tiny amount to die.
Onions in large quantities can cause a type of aneamia. A small amount won't cause harm though. Garlic has the same effect (it's in the same family) however many dogs take this every day, and actually get healthier!! You onl;y need to avoid giving it to them in their food, or allowing them to eat whole onions.
Grapes poison a dogs kidneys. Rasins, sultanas and grape products should also be avoided, unless they are administered in a safe amount as a medicinal thing- some dog foods contain a grape extract, but this is of benefit to them, just like the garlic.

Answer 3

Chocolate is dangerous because it contains theobromine, a substance that dogs metabolize very slowly. When theobromine builds up in the body, it can harm the heart, central nervous system, and kidneys.
While it is unclear exactly what substance in grapes and raisins causes the problems, there are many documented cases of dogs experiencing acute kidney problems after eating even a handful of grapes or raisins.
Both onions and garlic contain the toxic chemical thiosulphate. As thiosulphate levels build up in a dog’s body, they cause severe problems with the body’s red blood cells. Dogs can become ill after either eating one large amount of onion or regular smaller meals containing onions. All forms of onions are equally dangerous, whether they are raw, cooked, or included in a recipe, one reason to be especially careful with table scraps. Onions contain more of the toxic ingredient than garlic. While the potential for illness still exists, a dog would have to eat much larger quantities of garlic to become dangerously ill.

Also foods Such As:

AVOCADO
NUTS
DAIRY PRODUCTS (causes diarrhea)
ALCHOHOL
COFFEE
TEA

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Answer 4

Chocolate effects the brain and causes breathing problems.

Onions damage red blood cells so that they don't work right. That leads to poor oxygenation of the blood and anemia when the body filters them out.

Grape seeds have oils that make dogs sick. This one is still a mystery to science, some dogs really react to just a little, while other dogs don't react at all.

Answer 5

chocolate has a substance in it that is harmful for dogs as it cant be digested.
ive never heard if onions and grapes but i should think its because their digestive system isnt meant to deal with those sorts of foods. however dogs are omnivours not carnivors so they should be able to eat vegatable matter (most dry dog foods contain it!)

Answer 6

Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine which are both toxic to dogs.

UNSWEET, DARK BAKER'S CHOCOLATE....and other types of dark, semi-sweet chocolate are the MOST toxic. Not milk chocolate, like the other person said. Milk chocolate is still toxic, but it takes MORE of it to cause a problem.

Onions can trigger hemolytic anemia in dogs.

No one quite knows the problem with grapes and raisins, but they seem to be associated with kidney failure in dogs. Not every dog, not every time, but there have been enough cases to establish a link.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Grapes,-Nuts,-and-Your-Dogs-Health----Foods-that-Fido-should-Avoid&id=20315

Answer 7

Here is a link that has foods that are not good for dogs and chocolate,onions, and grapes is on the list.

http://www.missouriscenicrivers.combaddogfoods.html

Answer 8

Wow, where do I start! Ok so chocolate contain 3 different chemical that affect the heart in relatively high quantities, theophylline and caffeine for example....
Onions cause Heinz Body Anemia.
And grapes can cause GI upset and acute renal failure, no one knows why

Answer 9

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Answer 10

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Answer 11

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