Why does everyone think Chocolate is bad for dogs?

I've never found an answer to this question... just everyone that believes chocolate is bad for dogs.I have given my dogs chocolate for years (many different dogs) and they've never skipped a beat from it. Also grapes and onions. There has never been a problem.Can people please explain to me why it's bad?

Its baking chocolate and yes its toxic to dogs.

Your dogs have probably been to large, and the amounts you've given too small, to harm them.Keep on giving your dogs toxins if you like. Some people enjoy russian roulette.

http://www.talktothevet.com/ARTICLES/DOGS/chocolatetoxic.HTMThat's why, so yes, it is bad for them. Just because they didn't die doesn't mean it's not bad for them, it just means the levels were low enough to allow their bodies to fight off the toxin.

Chocolate has a chemical called theobromine in it which will shut down your dog's organs. Obviously you have been giving them little enough to where it hasn't caused a problem.Also, different chocolates have different levels.White chocalate is the least dangerous, and baking chocolate is the worst.But it isn't near as bad as grapes and onions.And how long did these dogs live? 2 years? As kip's mom explained, the dogs probably are suffering from chronic toxicity, which is slowing killing them.READ-http://jlhweb.net/Boxermap/onions.htmlhttp://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asphttp://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_toxic_raisins.htmhttp://www2.aspca.org/site/News2?id=16645&news_iv_ctrl=0

Never skipped a beat? So you're saying you conduct controlled experiments while carefully monitoring the dogs heart rate, vital signs, and blood cell count?Why onions are bad for dogs:http://jlhweb.net/Boxermap/onions.htmlChocolate:http://www.dogownersdigest.com/news/library/chocolate-dog-poisoning.shtmlGrapes:http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp

Dark chocolate and baking chocolate is toxic and will kill your dog, same as onions and grapes.Why would you want to give your dogs that maybe you shouldn't own a dog

Stop being ignorant and read up before you harm your pets.http://www.talktothevet.com/ARTICLES/DOGS/chocolatetoxic.HTMhttp://www.dogownersdigest.com/news/library/chocolate-dog-poisoning.shtml

You've simply been lucky.My belief is that even if my large breed dogs can handle eating such things WHY would I as a responsible owner KNOWINGLY allow them to ingest what to them are TOXINS? (While arsenic won't kill you right off in low doses it does accumulate in the body and can eventually kill you and will certainly cause you poor health - you wouldn't knowingly ingest arsenic - why would you feed your dog something you know is toxic?)

Uhm, because Chocolate gives them Diahrea, among many other problems. and Grapes/raisens are known to cause problems and shut down organs if given in a large enough quantity (which doesn't take much)you might as well be giving them antifreeze, you'll eventually end up with the same product.

Two things most people don't understand about toxins:1. The dose makes the poison. Almost all things are toxic, at the right dose. Water is toxic to humans - you can indeed die if you drink too much. If your dogs have been fine with the amount of chocolate they have consumed, yippee. That doesn't mean you can give them 5 pounds of baker's chocolate and expect the same results.2. Chronic vs. Acute. Things like onions, garlic and grapes may cause *chronic* toxicity - as in, it builds up over time and causes organ failure. For example - one cigarette won't kill you, but exposure to them over time can lead to chronic pulmonary problems. Again, if your dogs haven't had problems, yippee - but that doesn't mean they won't have problems down the road due to chronic toxicity.

dogs don't have enzymes to break chocolate down, so over time or at once too Much buildup will kill them by shutting down their organs

Me too...my dogs love chocolate and grapes. My dogs eat more human food than dog kibble. One of my dogs is 17 years old. If it is bad for them...my dogs don't seem to notice. People forget that dogs are dogs...not frail little helpless things. They are part scavengers so their systems can handle a variety of foods, in my opinion.

Well it is definitely a fact these these are toxic to dogs.Chocolate is weight related first of all, and also dark chocolate would be more toxic than milk choc. The piece below is written by a vet.dogs and chocolateChocolate is toxic to dogs and is dose dependant.The toxic dose is 1 ounce chocolate / 1 pound of dog for milk chocolate and 1 ounce of chocolate / 3 pounds of dog for plain chocolate. Cooking chocolate is 3 times more toxic again. If you discover this as soon as it happens then the best course of action is to give the dog some of it normal food and then make the dog sick by pushing your fingers covered in salt down it's throat.Watch for diarrhoea and signs of excitement or rapid heart beat and if in doubt get the dog to the vet.Grapes affects the kidneys and so wouldn't be evident initially but can accumulate if given regularly. Onions also have accumulating effects. Google these and you will get long explanations for each.

a women down the street gave all her dogs chocolate then one day one of then ended up with diabetes and cost a Fortune in vet fees

Some dogs are more sensitive to different foods. People think that dogs have a less strong immune system. it's hard for them to digest it properly.( Things like the ones you mentioned). You could probably give it to them in small amounts but DO NOT!!! give them dark or white chocolate... those are the most dangerous and a couple of onces can make them really sick or kill them... sometimes

Then you've been lucky and so have your dogs.Eating metal is bad for humans but I'm sure someone out there has eaten it and not had any adverse reactions to it. But that doesn't mean we should all eat metal.

Chocolate contains a stimulant called theobromine. Humans can process it effectively, but many animals (including dogs) metabolize it very slowly. It builds up in their system and can cause theobromine poisoning. The early symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and excessive urination. If the dog consumed too much theobromine, however, the symptoms may advance to include heart arrhythmias, heart attacks, seizures and more. Finally, if the poisoning is severe enough, the dog will die. Different types of chocolate contain different amounts of theobromine. For instance, dark chocolate is twice as deadly as milk chocolate. Two ounces of pure cocoa can kill a thirty-pound dog while it'd take nine ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, and 1200 ounces of white chocolate. Obviously, a dog's size must also be considered. Feeding an eighty-pound dog a rather large chunk of your Hershey bar probably won't do a thing, but that same amount could kill a ten-pound dog. If your dogs were unaffected by chocolate, it's safe for me to assume that you did not feed high enough quantities to harm them (thankfully!!). If you have large dogs, you've probably been able to feed them plenty of milk chocolate without noticing the effects. If you'd had tiny dogs, well, I find it hard to believe you fed them sizable amounts of chocolate without consequence.

A little bit of chocolate won't harm your dog, as you probably have already done. The real threat to dogs is if you give them larger amounts of chocolate, because there is a chemical in chocolate that is toxic and potentially harmful to dogs.This chemical is called theobromine, and it is found in the cocoa bean. Symptoms of too much chocolate for your dog can be crying, vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination (more pee), muscle twitching and excessive panting. These don't mean your dog will die though, if this does happen you should take your dog to the vet ASAP.Otherwise the chocolate can cause the heart to beat very rapidly and then give out, killing your dog. That's why chocolate is bad for dogs. ;D a chocolate chip here and there is fine, but too much can be /very/ bad.Hope it helped.

Like BYBs Cause Suffering & Death saidYour Dogs are possibly to large, & the pieces are to Small they couldn't affect your Dog(s). But if the Pieces were much bigger they could affect your dog.