Can you feed a dog chocolate?

I have heard that chocolate is poisonous to dogs, yet my wife feeds our miniature schnauzer bits of chocolate all the time and he loves it. She tells me that she used to feed her poodle chocolate without ill effect as well. What gives?

    Can you feed a dog chocolate?

    I have heard that chocolate is poisonous to dogs, yet my wife feeds our miniature schnauzer bits of chocolate all the time and he loves it. She tells me that she used to feed her poodle chocolate without ill effect as well. What gives?...
    General Dog Discussions : Can you feed a dog chocolate?...

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    • Can you feed a dog chocolate?

      Can you feed a dog chocolate? General Dog Discussions
      I have heard that chocolate is poisonous to dogs, yet my wife feeds our miniature schnauzer bits of chocolate all the time and he loves it. She tells me that she used to feed her poodle chocolate without ill effect as well. What gives?

      Can you feed a dog chocolate?

      Can you feed a dog chocolate? General Dog Discussions
    • um. maybe your dog just got lucky those times but pleaseee don't feed chocolate to it. it's really bad for it once it has enough chocolate to count for

    • NO! Chocolate is poisonous to dogs! Also, grapes and raisins are bad for them too! These foods could hurt or kill your dog! I have heard that some human foods are okay, like some veggies, but your best bet would be to ask your vet for some alternative treats. It's better to be safe than sorry!

    • NO! It depends on the size of the dog as to the ratio that it would take to kill the dog, but why take the chance? On the average it is one ounce of chocolate to one pound of body weight. In my puppies dog obedience class they told us Chocolate, grapes (raisins), and onions kill dogs. If I were you I would stay away from it all.

    • Hi, Yes chocolate is poison to a dog but they are not sure how much it takes to kill a dog. Anyway i don't feed any kind of chocolate to my dogs and you may want to tell your wife she may one day be the cause of her pets death if she doesn't STOP feeding him or her chocolate.poppy1

    • No chocolate! Remember that your dog is a DOG and should only eat dog food. Just because your dog is not getting sick immediately doesn't mean it's not hurting it. My aunt fed her dog chicken and it never got sick. After a couple of years it got really sick all of a sudden. The vet said the chicken messed her up. You can be shortening your dogs life if you continue with the chocolate.

    • chocolate is poisonous. I like to feed my dog pieces of my food when i'm eating, but if it's bad for her, i'll break a treat into pieces and give her those or i'll give her pieces of her dog food. suggest this alternative to your wife. if something does happen to the dog, she's going to feel awful. so why take the chance, right?

    • hi. there was an article that i read on the subject and, if i remember correctly, you can give a dog a peice of chocolate, just dont give it a candy bar. i cant remember how much not to feed, so i dont give my dogs any. hope this helped some. Pam

    • I understand what your saying completely.I have always heard that if you feed your dog like one bite of chocolate he would die. Then a few years ago my dog (also a poodle) got into my solid chocolate Easter bunny, it had to have been at least a foot tall. And he ate it all. The only affect it had on him was my dog was extremely hyper. So to be honest I think it depends on your dog. My dog is extremely healthy and believe me he's got into chocolate numerous other times afterwards. But whose to say your dogs the same as mine. I say just in case you shouldn't take the chance. But if by accident he does eat chocolate, don't over react and think that's it your dogs done for.

    • Just google "theobromine dog" and make up your own mind if you're happy to take the risk - I wouldn't be."It Is not chocolate Itself that Is poisonous to dogs, It is the Theobromine, a naturally occurring compound found In chocolate. Thobromine causes different reactions to different dogs: dogs with health problems, especially epilepsy, are mom affected by Theobromine than healthy dogs. Theobromine can trigger epileptic seizures in dogs prone to or at risk of epilepsy. The size of the dog will also be a major factor the smaller the dog, the more affected it is by the same amount than a larger dog. Therefore, toxicity is described on a mg/Kg basis.Furthermore, Theobromine can cause cardiac irregularity, especially If the dog becomes excited. Cardiac Arrhythmia can precipitate a myocardial infarct which can kill the dog.Theobromine also irritates the GI tract and in some dogs can cause internal bleeding which In some cases kills them a day or so later.Theobromine is also present in differing amounts in different kinds of chocolate. Milk chocolate has 44-66 mg/oz, dark chocolate 450 mg/oz and baking/bitter chocolate or cocoa powder varies as much as 150-600 mg/oz. How much chocolate a dog can survive depends on its weight (and other unknown circumstances). Under 200 mg Theobromine per kg body weight no deaths have been observed."

    • well i think its all bull sh*t i have given my 2 dogs choc at some stage and no effect has taken place at all- saying that i dont mean go out and give you dog a full block everyday!! but it doesnt hurt to indulge every now and then..

    • The darker the chocolate - the more toxic it is.The larger the dog - the bigger the dose is to cause damage.STOP feeding chocolate to the dogs - use carob if you must - is just as tasty from the dog's perspective - but none of the nasties in it that will eventually kill the dog.I hate to be harsh - but would you deliberately feed a child mac & cheese laced with bleach?

    • No, don't ever feed your dog chocolate! There's a kind of ingredients in the chocolate which is acceptable to human but unacceptable to dog. Dog will be poisoned if fed with chocolate.

    • No. A bit won't kill, but don't make a habit of feeding dog chocolate. Tell your wife to eat them herself. If she enjoy it so much to feed the dog chocolate, shop at Petco for treats that look like chocolate but doesn't contain chocolate, they are better for the dog.

    • Chocolate contains caffeine and a related stimulant called theobromine, which can make your dog seriously ill. Both of these stimulants can raise your dogs heart rate, occasionally to the point of being fatal. Chocolate should be thought of as a poison to dogs. A small amount may not cause death but it can make them very ill. Fortunately, most dogs who overdose on chocolate just get an upset stomach with perhaps vomiting and diarrhea.The effect it has on your dog depends both on its size and the amount of chocolate the dog consumed. The smaller the dog, the less chocolate it needs to eat in order to overdose. Maybe the amount of chocolate given to your dog is too little, but never feed it more than that amount, because chocolate is still poisonous for dogs to eat, and you never know when is the enough amount.

    • Dog eating chocolate. Is it not a surprise? Not at all. Dog is our pet. Majority of the human population loves this animal. The children like these animals more than the adults as the dogs play with them and reciprocate the love and affection shown to them.In general we tend to give the dog what all we eat. At times the children may feed the dog with chocolate. This is serious. Chocolate should never be given for dogs. It is nothing but a poison for them.We need to remove the chocolate from the body of the dog as early as possible. If we delay, the Theo bromine [from the chocolate] will circulate in the blood and may destroy the gastrointestinal tract. The moment the dog is given chocolate by mistake, we need to induce the animal to vomit.Immediately after this we need to give activated charcoal. The charcoal has the ability to absorb the toxin. Once this is done, the ill effects of the poison [chocolate] is reduced a great extend. These things can be done at home as a first aid. It is always better to have a first aid kit at home if we are a pet lover [dog] and have a mischievous child.Chocolate-- Chocolate in even small amounts can be deadly to small dogs, and in larger dogs can cause serious health problems. The culprit is theobromine, which causes increased heart rate and blood pressure.Now, saying that, I've given my dogs a chocolate chip cookie now and then with no ill effects, and Maesc once ate an entire 1 lb chocolate Santa from underneath the tree (including the tin foil) and apart from being very energized, he was fine -- although it was a pretty frantic call to the vetChocolate ToxicityLevels of theobromine in ChocolateConcentration of theobromine varies with the formulation of the chocolate * Milk chocolate has 44mg/oz (154mg/100gm) * Semisweet chocolate has 150 mg/oz (528mg/100gm) * Baking chocolate 390mg/oz (1365 mg/100gm) The theobromine in candies consisting of chocolate that is coated over some other substance - as in filled candies and chocolate coated dried fruits, etc will be more dilute than that in pure chocolate bars and solid chocolate candies.Things like Oreos and other chocolate cookies, or chocolate ice cream, contain only a tiny bit of real chocolate. Candybars that are covered in chocolate have only slightly more. Hershey's kisses are milk chocolate, but a few aren't usually dangerous for larger dogs. Good chocolate bars and bittersweet chocolate are risky. I've been known to share my oreos and chocolate chip cookies now and then.There is also some evidence that the effect (at least in some dogs) can be cumulative. While one incident may not be dangerous for your dog, letting them eat chocolate over time can lead to issues.IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS, CALL YOUR VET!!!! If your dog is acting strangely (very energetic, or listless, throwing up, breathing quickly, or pacing, or showing signs of pain), call immediately!Toxic Amounts of ChocolateDog's Amount of Amount of Approx. Mg.Weight Milk Choc Unsweet. Choc Theobromine 5 lb. 4 oz. .5 oz. 20010 lbs. 8 oz. 1.0 oz. 40020 lbs. 1 lb. 2.5 oz. 90030 lbs. 2 lbs. 3.25 oz. 130040 lbs. 2.5 lbs. 4.5 oz. 180050 lbs. 3 lbs. 5.5 oz. 225060 lbs. 4 lbs. 7.0 oz. 270070 lbs. 5 lbs. 8.5 oz. 3400

    • Our German Shepherd ate a little chocolate and her head swelled up and looked very lumpy. We called the vet and he prescribed Predisone. She recovered nicely but it was all so unnecessary. Would never give chocolate to an animal again.