Should Dogs Eat Chocolate?

First and foremost, it must be said that dogs must NOT eat chocolate. No matter how pathetic he looks at you, no matter how much he whines, let me repeat....

Dogs must NOT eat chocolate.

Do NOT Do What This Pet Owner Appears to Be Doing!

Keep ALL forms of chocolate out of their reach and locked away at all times.

Keep in mind that once dogs have tasted chocolate, they want more. The problem, according to veterinary experts, is that dogs have a sweet tooth and eating just a speck of chocolate leads a dog to crave more. They become addicted to chocolate very easily.

It can mean that your dog will jump at any opportunity to get any type of chocolate and chocolate can kill your dog.

Chocolate poisoning is caused by excessive intake of the methylxanthine alkaloids . Methylxanthine alkaloids are naturally occurring drugs (primarily theobromine and caffeine) that can be found in chocolate, coffee, tea, cola beverages and some over-the-counter stimulants. Chocolate preparations contain different concentrations of these active compounds. One of the methylxanthine alkaloids is an element called theobromine, which is lethal to dogs, and another is theophylline, which is similar to caffeine.

The amount of theobromine found in chocolate is small enough that chocolate can be safely consumed by humans in large quantities, but dogs metabolize theobromine slower and can easily consume enough chocolate to cause chocolate poisoning. Dogs are the most common victims of theobromine chocolate poisoning.

The poisoning affects many organ systems, and animals of all ages are susceptible. These drugs cause constricted blood vessels; rapid and weak heart beat; and stimulate the nervous system. Nervous system stimulation leads to hyperactivity, tremors, and seizures. The heart rate becomes increasingly rapid and irregular. The theobromine will remain in their bloodstream for up to 20 hours.

In most cases, dogs are poisoned by eating the processed chocolate used in sweets, baked goods, and chocolate bars. Since these products contain high concentrations of theobromine and caffeine, and dogs love the way they taste, chocolate poisoning is common because of the way they gobble down just about anything and everything.

Puppies and young dogs are especially susceptible as they may be more likely to ingest large amounts of unusual foods. Since chocolate is very often available and dogs enjoy the taste, access to chocolate goodies has become a real problem, with more and more cases of dog chocolate poisoning on the up-rise.

This list starts with the type of chocolate that has the largest quantity and moves down to the type of chocolate with the least amount.

Cocoa Beans
Baking Chocolate
Cocoa Powder
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate Cocktail Mixes
Chocolate Syrup
Milk Chocolate
Lite Chocolate Syrup
Chocolate Milk Mixes
White Chocolate

In answer to the amount of theobromine that can be found in various types of chocolate, Hershey's Chocolate has provided a chart listing the theobromine quantities in their chocolate products.

The first symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and increased urination. These symptoms will occur 2 to 4 hours after intake, and chocolate in the vomit may be obvious. Excessive urination may result from the diuretic (water clearing) action of the chocolate.

Advanced signs of chocolate poisoning include cardiac arrhythmias, hallucinations, stiffness, epileptic seizures, muscle twitching, excitement, extreme responses to noise, light, and touch.

Internal bleeding, heart failure, weakness, coma, and eventually death can occur 12 to 36 hours after intake.

Chocolate poisoning can be confused with many other types of poisoning or conditions. Life threatening chemical poisoning can cause very similar effects.

Chemicals such as strychnine, amphetamines, pesticides, and some rodenticides can have mirror effects.

A typical 40 pound dog will normally experience intestinal distress after eating less than 8 ounces of dark chocolate, but won't necessarily experience bradycardia (a slow heartbeat rate) or tachyarrhythmia (an increase in heart rate) unless it eats at least a pound of milk chocolate.

According to the The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health, approximately 0.023 ounces of baker's chocolate per pound of a dog's body weight is sufficient to cause symptoms of toxicity. For example, a typical 1 ounce baker's chocolate piece would be enough to bring out symptoms in a 40 pound dog.

If a dog eats chocolate, immediate induction of vomiting is the best. This can only be done within the first two hours of ingestion. Vomiting can be induced by putting a small amount of vanilla ice cream in a bowl (for taste!) mixed with hydrogen peroxide (amount depends on the weight of the dog) and a teaspoon of salt.

Whatever you do, DO NOT induce vomiting with salt water. You will induce salt toxicity instead of vomiting and can cause seizures.

Save a sample of the vomit, for analysis, and take both the dog and the sample to the veterinarian immediately.

If, on the other hand, your dog is having a seizure, do NOT attempt to induce vomiting.

Call your veterinarian immediately for advice, before bringing him in to the clinic.

If a combination of chocolate ingestion, vomiting, nervousness, or weakness are seen, take your dog to your vet immediately and again, if possible, bring a sample of the vomit with you for analysis, since this may aid in rapid identification of the toxic substance.

Your veterinarian will examine your dog's nervous system and cardiac function. He may want to test the blood and urine for concentrations of sugar(glucose) and the active ingredient in the chocolate.

Chocolate poisoning in dogs progresses rapidly and symptoms may need to be treated symptomatically until a laboratory diagnosis is confirmed.

If you dog is a medium size to large size dog that has gotten a little bit of chocolate ice cream. I wouldn't be too concerned as there is very little chocolate there. It is mostly milk and sugar. With a smaller dog I would keep a close eye on him.

There is no antidote for chocolate poisoning.

Your veterinarian may use drugs to induce vomiting if the chocolate was consumed within the previous 2 - 4 hours.

He may also use a stomach tube and fluids to flush the stomach of the chocolate, followed by an activated charcoal treatment, to prevent any of the drugs from being absorbed into the system.

In dogs with advanced symptoms, specialized medications are needed to control the seizures and to correct the rapid and weak heartbeat in order to prevent heart failure.

The expected course of chocolate poisoning is 12 to 36 hours depending on the dosage and effectiveness of treatment.

Prognosis is good if the chocolate is removed within 2 to 4 hours of ingestion. Prognosis is guarded in animals with advanced signs such as seizures and serious heart dysfunction.

Do you have something on your mind about the care of your dog that has really been bothering you?

Don't put it off any longer. You can ask away right here, just click the image or click the the link, right now.

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For every holiday, such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and Mother's Day, veterinarians witness an increase in accidental chocolate poisoning in dogs. The majority of pet owners do not realize that their homes are a potential for dog disasters.

Keep in mind that theobromine, caffeine and theophylline molecules which are all naturally occurring molecules that are toxic to dogs are found in several foods, plants, beverages and medications.

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Sammi's Salmon Treats
Compliments of Justin & Fred

Ingredients:

1 8-oz. can Salmon with juice
1/2 cup of Parsley - chopped
3 eggs
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
2-3 cups of Whole Wheat Flour

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)

2. Grind the Flax & Sesame seeds in a grinder, preferably a coffee grinder so they are finely ground.

3. Then mix all of the ingredients (except the flour) in a food processor and mix well.

4. Mix in the flour by pouring it in slowly and pulsing until the dough forms a ball.

This normally takes somewhere between 2-3 cups of flour.

5. Add a little flour to your table top and knead in the remaining flour so you get the dough smooth and no longer sticky. This should take you about 3 - 4 minutes.

6. Roll out the dough to about 1-in (2 cm) thick.

7. Cut the dough vertically, using a pizza cutter, about 1-in.(2 cm) between each cut.

8. Then cut horizontally, again about 1-in.(2 cm) apart.

9. This should form small squares.

10. Place them on a grease baking sheet.

11. Bake for about 20 minutes then flip them and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

12. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before feeding them to your dog.

13. You can make the treats as hard or soft as you like, although crunchy is better for their teeth.

I woud like to respond to a comment left in the guestbook below by "Swededesigns", by bending your ear, hopefully not boring you, and telling you a little about my experience with some of the dogs in my life.

As you all know I'm from Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, and have owned and raised many different dog's in my life time. I've raised, rescued and bred a great many different dog breeds running the gamut from breeding pure AKC German Shepards and Belgium Shepards; to Pit Bulls and Bull Terriers, that were used to hunt wild boar in Hawaii. While living in Colorado for a few years, I raised a couple of half-breed wolf and Shepard mix, that I found abandoned by their mother in the woods. If I had to pick, these two half-breed wolves would be my favorites. I have owned a multitude of mixed breed poi dogs (poi dogs are mutt's of unknown mixtures) that were rescued and saved from death in one way or another.

I have never intentionally given any of these dogs chocolate, and way before anyone ever owned a computer, I was taught as a child that chocolate could be fatal to dogs. Now it is no longer an old wives tale, but is backed by scientific research.

Now, here is the kicker - There is always an exception to every rule. Just like "Swededesigns", who left a comment in the guestbook below, I had a "garbage dog" that would eat anything and everything. She was a true "garbage dog". I would find her rooting through the garbage at the beach park (same one I found her abandoned at) eating old, rotten food. Only God knows why, as she was well fed at home with quality commercial dog food, raw food and people food. This dog would eat anything and everything she could get her paws on, including chocolate, and would never get sick. The only things Nani Girl refused to eat (after trying them once) were popcorn (it got stuck in her teeth), onions (she spit them out when she found them mixed in something she had scavage) and bananas. Everything else that dogs are suppose to stay away from, Nani Girl would eat without any side effects.

I have no idea what breed Nani Girl was. She looked like she could have been part standard poodle as she was large with white curly fur, and she had a snout and eyes similar to a poodle, but as for the other breeds she may have had in her bloodline, your guess is as good as mine was. She loved to swim and would go after anything in the water, so she may have had some Springer Spaniel or Golden Retriever and she had floppy ears, but who knows. Clue-less????

This is the thing...

Every dog has different digestive problems dependent on the breed, the lifestyle and the age of the dog. Many pure breeds are more susceptible to digestive problems than mutts or mixed breeds because of over breeding. Many dog breeds that have been genetically altered by humans such as miniatures, have weaker constitutions than dogs that are of mixed bloodlines, i.e. your mutt's and poi dogs.

The only point I am trying to make is every dog is an individual. You just do not know if you have a dog that can handle chocolate or not. Milk chocolate would not affect an 75 pound Shepard like it would a 15 pound Pomeranian, and a small piece of milk chocolate is less threatening than a bar of dark Baker's chocolate. You already know that the chocolate is bad for the dog by at the very least, causing obesity, or at the very worst by causing heart failure. Why take the chance of harming your loved pet at all?

A dog that eats chocolate, and doesn't appear to be affected by it, may still be affected internally without you realizing it. The dog may have a heart attack at say 14 years of age, instead of living to the life expectancy of 20 years. He may not live as long as he should because of accumulative disease brought on by the ingesting of the chocolate along with other toxic products. In other words, the dogs life span may be shortener than it would have otherwise been considered normal, so why take the chance?

Being the devil's advocate here, there are those that say dogs should not eat avocados. I do not agree with that. Every one of the dogs I raised in Hawaii ate avocados, in fact everyone I knew gave their dogs avocado. The dogs loved them. I always attributed their beautiful shiny coats to the natural oils found in avocados. I had several huge old avocado trees on my property and the trees were always loaded when in season. We couldn't pick them fast enough. It didn't matter though because the ones that fell were eaten by the dogs almost as soon as they hit the ground.

Did my dogs live to a ripe old age?

Most did, that weren't taken by unnatural causes. Nani Girl didn't though. She only lived to be 16. Was it all the garbage she ate? Probably, but we will never know for sure. All in all even 16 years wasn't too bad as many dogs these days don't live beyond 10 years.