Can anyone explain to me why chocolate is so very bad for dogs but makes us feel great? I've heard about a chemical that is in dark chocolate that is potentially fatal for dogs, but how are we and they so different? That chemical obviously doesn't effect us in the same way - although the calories do do me in! And is this chemical bad for any other pets? What effect does this chemical have on us - couldn't the chocolate people take it out as a precaution for everyone just to stop dogs dying?
Also - how do the manufacturers make doggie chocolate safe? How much human chocolate is bad for dogs?
My nan always used to give her Cairn a chocolate digestive when she had one and that dog lived to 11 without a problem. Are some dogs more sensitive than others?
Human chocolate is harmful to dogs because of the theobromine in the cocoa. There are dog chocolate products in the market, however some can still contain small amounts of cocoa. The completely dog safe chocolate option which contains no cocoa are the Good Boy Choc Drops. They are made with a carob formulation which is safe for dogs and are available in most good pet shops and grocery stores.
Samantha Hollas, Armitages
It's no better for us than it is for the dogs - if we ate enough in one go it would kill us too.
ReplyDeleteIt's the theobromine that is a stimulant in the cocoa bean that causes the problem, we break it down better and faster than dogs so we have to eat more to get the same effect. I don't know if it can be taken out, but I'm sure it wouldn't be half as addictive if it was removed! I do know if I eat too many Quality Streets on a day in day out basis I end up on the toilet quite a lot more than usual, so obviously our bodies don't like it much either! I found that out last christmas. Urgh.
Check the ingredients on dog chocolate - I believe some do have cocoa powder in them but they consider them such low levels that they are harmless. I never give them anyway, just in case.
I decided never ever to give my dog anything with ordinary chocolate on it, such as a chocolate digestive biscuit, because I didn't want him to get the taste for it, being aware of how dangerous it was to dogs.
ReplyDeleteI did once offer him some doggy chocolate drops but then decided never to give them again, thinking if he liked them, he might also like human chocolate.
My friend popped out shopping just before Christmas one year, leaving a wrapped up box of liqueur chocolates under the tree with other presents.
She was back an hour or so later and found her dog collapsed on the floor. It had eaten the whole box of chocolates.
When she phoned her vet, he actually turned up in person to take the dog away to pump out its stomach.
It was OK - she had turned up in time. But if she had continued shopping for a bit longer, she might have returned to a dead dog!
Julia Lewis
Three cases I know of where dogs died from eating chocolate are a Dachsund and a Springer spaniel. Both ate 300g of chocolate and both died 12 hours later. That's about 40g/Kg of body weight. Another Springer ate 900g and died 15 hours later. It depends on the dogs metabolism as to how chocolate will effect them. It would appear that the lethal dose for cats is 200mg/Kg of body weight
ReplyDeleteBarry Eaton