Why do people say chocolate is harmful to dogs?

It takes large quantities of chocolate to make dogs sick and it can be fatal.Just because he likes it doesn't mean it is good for him. It may be cute, but it's not in the dog's best interest to allow him to do this.

Id stop if I were you my sister had a chihuahua and it had something like a stroke or something ,and the vet asked them if they fed it chocolate and she said the vet said that's why.There is something in it that dogs cant have Stop if you want your dog to live a long life

Don't feed chocolate to him, or any sweet. Sure they love it, but it is toxic for them. Of course it will not hurt them in very small quantities, but it is harmful and they should not eat it.

Chocolate contains a xanthine compound, theobromine, that is toxic in sufficient quantities. Examples of other xanthine compounds are caffeine and theophylline. The toxicity from all of these compounds is similar. It takes a fairly large amount of chocolate to cause problems.Xanthines affect primarily the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system and peripheral nerves. There is a diuretic effect as well. So the sign seen with toxicity include hyperexitablility, hyper irritability, increased heart rate, restlessness, increased urination, vomiting and muscular tremors or tenseness. Under some circumstances these signs can lead to secondary problems like hyperthermia. In severe cases, seizures or cardiac arrest can occur. Death can result from severe intoxication.

Because it is!!!! I am not sure of all the technical stuff but I do know that it is a bad thing to give a dog chocolate.

according to our vet...the darker the chocolate the more harmful it is...baking chocolate is the worsealso onions, grapes & raisens are suppose to be harmful, our dog has eaten all three...I think it has to do with the amount eaten

I'm glad your dog hasnt gotten sick yet but it can be very toxic. I would try to find another treat for him. He could get seriusly sick. Look for dog treats at a pet store or maybe cheese my dog loves cheese.Just because he hasn't goten sick yet doesnt neccisarily mean he wont. Good Luck!

well know one can digest milk besides cows thats why you don't give baby's milk until there 1 but dogs stomachs take it harder plus dogs don't handle cocoa the best try give it white chocolate he or she will like it better and its still chocolate

DO NOT FEED CHOCOLATE TO DOGS. STOP DOING IT OR ELSE.

Congratulations! You have been slowly poisoning your dog! Lucky for you, you didnt accidentally give him a lethal dose... He is a small dog so I am sure you came close a couple times. It is the theobromine within chocolate that can seriously hurt your dog and cause acute illness and death.. it isnt that chocolate is bad for dogs, its TOXIC to dogs. In small amounts it wint harm them but in larger amounts and darker chocolate the risk increases. Its not a joke, its not a myth and its not a fact to be disregarded because you give your dog chocolate and nothing has happened YET. Something deadly will occur if you give your dog enough chocolate to constitute a lethal dose. In any case there is no reason to give a dog chocolate, my dogs love to eat cat crap but I dont give it to them because they can get parasites etc. there are thousands of brands of dog treats, there are even treats which are fake chocolate that has no cocoa and is safe for dogs to eat. They are called Vita-kraft chocodrops. In any case thank your lucky stars your ignorance hasnt killed your dog, because if you had given him just the right amount to be lethal he would be dead or you would be stuck with a vet bill you had to pay to fix your dog after unwittingly feeding him a toxic dose of theobromine...

Too much can cause cardiac arrhythmias and kill a dog. Dogs are smaller than humans,so the caffeine in a human size candy bar is a massive dose to them. In small quantities it doesn't hurt, but in large quantities it is dangerous. Would you give your poodle ten cups of espresso to drink? No, it would kill her. The same with too much chocolate. Think of chocolate in terms of caffeine content compared to their weight. One hershey kiss won't kill her , but a bag full might.

Chocolate just like onions or garlic, will slowly kill your dog by attacking his liver. So your slowly, knowingly killing your dog.