Why do Dogs die of Chocolate?

Question

well when i was smaller i gave my chiwaha snickers like i mean alot(7) and he did not die is it just pure chocolate but im not going to risk it again so how do they die of choclate and can cats die of chocolate to?

Answer 1

Yes, both cats and dogs suffer from toxic affects of chocolate. Chocolate contains Theobromine, which is the toxic compound in chocolate. When Theobromine is ingested, blood pressure increases, the heart races, the central nervous system cannot function properly, and nausea and *possibly* vomiting set in.

Unsweetened (baker's) chocolate contains 8-10 times the amount of Theobromine as milk chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate falls roughly in between the two for Theobromine content. White chocolate contains Theobromine, but in such small amounts that Theobromine poisoning is unlikely. Caffeine is present in chocolate, but less than Theobromine.

Answer 2

Here is a link that shows foods that dogs should not eat and chocolate is on the list.

http://www.missouriscenicrivers.com/baddogfoods.html

Answer 3

Chocolate has theobromine in it which is poisonous to dogs and cats. Think it would take a lot to kill them cos my aunt and uncle used to give their staffy bars of chocolate and it didn't die, but I wouldnt feed them any chocolate at all just to be on the safe side.

Answer 4

Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous systems.

Answer 5

cats can eat chocolate and be okay.. The reason that chocolate is bad for dogs is because their stomachs are not set up to handle it. In short, their digestive tract is extremely rudimentry and they can't process certain things in chocolate. let's just say all dogs are lactose intolerant.

Answer 6

There's a chemical (called something like theobromine or theobromide, I can never remember) which is poisonous to dogs and cats. Chocolate contains high enough levels of this chemical to be dangerous to dogs and cats.

The Snickers bar contains little enough chocolate that it wasn't fatal to your chihuahua, but I wouldn't recommend making it a regular practice to give the dog chocolate of any kind. If you have a dog that has a taste for chocolate, you can give it small amounts of carob instead. It's best if the carob is in something else, like carob-chip cookies. Still, it's best to only let the dog have a very little bit of that.

Answer 7

All I know is that human chocolate is like poison to dogs, especially dark chocolate. My brothers dog almost died from eating chocolate a few months back but thankfully they got her to the vets in time.

Answer 8

It's not all dogs that have a strange reaction to chocolate, but most dogs do.

"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.'"

Also, dogs get very addicted to chocolate too. And they'll try to get more at any chance they get.

Answer 9

Chocolate contains theobromine which in high quantities can cause caffeine-like symptoms and heart irregularities. You were lucky, your dog might have become very sick. Snickers contains milk chocolate which is lower in cocoa bean than dark chocolate and also contains peanuts and other ingredients. But your dog is small and it doesn't need much of a dose to get sick so don't do it again.

Answer 10

chocolate slowly kills their nerves and they need to eat a lot of it to die, it is like a poison to them, and it slowly kills them... it's not an instant death...