Is chocolate bad?
 

I heard somewhere that the chocolate was really bad for the dogs in general. I haven't found anything related so far. Does any one knows something about this?

I believe that chocolate is poisonous for dogs. I've always been told that. I would be on the safe side and wait until you get some concrete answers before you give it to your baby.

Chocolate is harmful to animals...

http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1030

Here is a list of foods your pet should NOT eat

Hope this helps!

Fran

I second Fran, chocolate is a no-no for dogs.

Thanks!
 

To everyone. This is my first (of many) questions and you guys have been really helpful.
Thanks again!

And don't forget white chocolate is just as bad as the usual varieties.

Yep, I agree with everyone here, chocolate would be bad for your baby. I've heard there can be really serious cases of posioned dogs, especially round Easter and Crimbo. I'd say stick to dog choc, it's much better. Try the GOOD BOY chocolate drops as a treat!

Chocolate is definitely poisonous to dogs and I understand that baking chocolate is the absolute worst - it takes less and can kill quickly. Apparently the chemical theobromine (sp?) is the culprit here... My boyfriend was using baking chocolate last week and I kept Tucker in the other room until I could sweep the kitchen floor since my bf tends to be messy, I didn't want to take any chances - my Tuck works just like a vacuum cleaner in the kitchen so be extra vigilant when any chocolate is around!
Dana

While I wasn't home yesterday, Stewie had three Chewy Chips A'hoy Chocolate Chip cookies. Though it was an accident on my father's part, Stewie is still alive adn didn't act sick. I guess the moral is: don't freak out if your dog has a bit of chocolate; its not fatal in small quanities. Stewie has also eaten grapes; that part was not an accident -- I just didn't know any better.

Also, my mother's friend feed hers toy Poodle M&Ms on a daily basis as a treat. He's 16 years old now and still has his "puppy-like moments"

I'm not saying "feed your dog chocolate", but just wanted to share.

What dogs can/can not eat
 

Thanks for the helpful information...

Grapes..
 

Yeah, my dog Kirby ( a rat terrier) has eaten a small bit of chocolate in the past with no problems but grapes? Oh my gosh! He ate a few grapes just last week. I had no idea they could be toxic. Thank goodness he is alright though. No GI upsets or anything.

It all depends on the poundage of the animals as to how much and what type of chocolate they have to ingest for it to be harmful. Dark chocolate is the absolute worst and a small 3 lb yorkie can become seriously ill from oneor two ounces. Milk chocolaate is not quite as bad and white chocolate is the least poisonous because it has the least amount of the theobromine.

The problem with letting dogs get used to "dog chocolate" is that they then acquire a taste for it and are more likely to crave it and want it and maybe get into it when they may not if they had never tasted it in the first place. I just try to avoid all chocolate flavoring for that reason.


Here is an article I found on the internet that is very informative:

Tip - 20 - Dogs and chocolate cats and chocolate

Chocolate and dogs and cats

Dogs and cats must NOT eat chocolate. Although the reaction to chocolate varies from dog to dog based on the quantity eaten in relation to its size, chocolate is poisonous to dogs and it can be fatal. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which is toxic to dogs. Chocolate should be kept away from dogs at all times because they often like and make off with foods that are sweet.

The amount of theobromine varies with the type of chocolate. From most to least here are some common theobromine laden chocolate types; Cocoa Beans - Cocoa Powder - Plain/Baking Chocolate - Dark Chocolate - Milk Chocolate - Chocolate Drink Mixes - White Chocolate.

The amount of chocolate that it takes to poison your pet depends on the type of chocolate eaten and the dog's weight. White chocolate has the least amount of theobromine at 1 mg per ounce. Baking chocolate or cocoa beans have the highest. Baking chocolate has 450 mg of theobromine per oz; semi-sweet chocolate 260 mg/oz; milk chocolate, 60 mg/oz; and hot chocolate, 12 mg/oz. Here is a list of the most common sources of chocolate and the amount that leads to poisonous levels:

White chocolate: 200 ounces per pound of body weight. It takes 250 pounds of white chocolate to cause signs of nervous-system 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 the nervous system of a 20-pound dog; one-half pound for a 10-pound dog. Semi-sweet chocolate has a similar toxic level. Keep in mind that the average chocolate bar contains 2 to 3 oz of milk chocolate. It would take 2-3 candy bars to produce toxicity in a 10 lb dog.
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.

Signs of chocolate poisoning in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, excess urination, nausea, seizures, irregular heartbeat and coma. Symptoms usually start within a few hours of ingestion but can take up to 36 hours. If you suspect your dog has eaten chocolate, rush it to an animal hospital or veterinarian immediately. The best diagnoses come from pets who were brought to the vet early.

Although chocolates are equally bad for cats, cats are finicky and many cats won't eat it. If your cat does eat chocolate though, treat the situation as life threatening. Cats are small and it takes less chocolate to kill them.

I'm glad Stewie is alright!

Just an fyi... My friend has a husky (very large dog). Well she has been the healthiest thing and then all of a sudden just started having seizures...... to make a long story short, she would stay with my friend's neighbor during the day while my friend is working (she liked to chew). Well the "sitter" is a really sweet old woman and every afternoon she would "indulge" and have a piece of chocolate out of her "Whitman's Sampler"... she thought she was being sweet by giving the husky a piece... after doing tons and tons of tests the vet finally surmised that the build-up of chocolate in the dog's system over time was what is causing the siezures and now the dog is on medication for life.

Not my boys
 

I had a poodle for ten years and a yorkie who lived to be almost 15. Every day of their lives they got to share a mini-pnut butter cup. My two boys now get to do the same each night. My vet says in such small quantities it will not hurt them. My boys are healthy as horses and full of energy and I will continue the treat with them. These are milk chocolate and will not hurt them. My poodle once got a hold of a large bag of oreo cookies and ate almost the entire bag, the only thing that he had was loose stools for a couple of days.

Great info, thanks for sharing so much. I was just about to post about the dark chocolate vs the milk chocolate and read your post. :D