Why is it people say NEVER NEVER give dogs chocolate?

One day my dog got into some chocolate M & M's and my neighbor told me chocolate could be fatal to dogs. I have heard this several times and just wondered if anyone knew if this is true and if yes, WHY?

yes it is true but its kind of an over time gradual fatal thing but how it hurts them i dont know

It just is... never give a dog chocolate, it can be fatal, it's true.

The caffine can give them a heart attack.

cuz there stoopid

It's my understanding that the caffiene is the major problem.

Yes it's true! There are chemicals in chocolate that causes the dog's heartrate to speed up and can be fatal. Caffine is part of it, but there's something else too (I can't remember what it's called). However, unless it's a really small dog a few M&M's shouldn't be a big deal.Edit: Whoever it was who said theobromine is right. That's the one I couldn't think of. And to clarify, different dogs react differently to it. I had a 15-pound dog who was something of a chocolate fiend and did just fine (ironicly she died at age 5 from eating contaminated dog food after having survived numerous poisoning incidents that probably should have killed her). I have another dog is over twice her size (about 35 pounds) but gets sick if he eats anything at all strange, definetly including chocolate. Small amounts of milk-chocolate candy shouldn't be a problem for most dogs though. It's just when the get a lot of it or very high cocoa content (or both...) that you need to worry.

it is (or can be)toxic to dogs, from what i heard.

Its true. Chocolate contains an ingredient that can harm dogs. I saw that information on a dog-friendly chocolate wrapper.

Absolutely true. Ask any veterinarian. I had a dog several years ago that became extremely sick and almost died after getting into some chocolate - bleary eyes, dehydration, diarrhea, vomiting... and then even a hangover the next morning (not funny).God knows, I hope you aren't playing games with your dog (or anyone else's) with chocolate.

Chocolate contains theobromine, a stimulant similar to caffeine. When ingested serious medical problems can result. What may not seem to be a large quantity for a person to consume is quite a lot for a dog weighing 10 or 20 pounds. Animals with chocolate poisoning may be restless, tense and thirsty. Vomiting, diarrhea and convulsions occur in more serious cases. Prevention is the key. Keep your chocolate out of reach of your pets. If Fido still manages to find and consume chocolate, call your veterinarian. Early on, absorption can be prevented by medically inducing vomiting or by pumping the stomach. After signs develop, supportive medical care is necessary.

chocolate can be like poison to a dog

If you have a small dog it can kill them. If you have a big dog and they accidentally eat a little bit of chocolate it won't hurt them but it might give them diarrea

the coco in it is like poison and it is VERY hard for them to digest it

Hello Equinox, It's NOT caffeine, it's theobromine. I got this from howstuffworks, great site."Dogs and people are different in lots of ways. For example, dogs can run around in the snow all day in their bare feet and it doesn't cause them any problems. People can run around barefooted in the snow for 30 seconds or so before it hurts. There are lots of differences like that between dogs and people.It turns out that, for dogs, a chemical in chocolate called theobromine is the source of the problem. Theobromine is similar to caffeine. According to this page, theobromine is toxic to a dog when it ingests between 100 and 150 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.Different types of chocolate contain different amounts of theobromine: It would take 20 ounces of milk chocolate to kill a 20-pound dog, but only 2 ounces of baker's chocolate or 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate. It is not that hard for a dog to get into something like an Easter basket full of chocolate eggs and bunnies and gobble up a pound or two of chocolate. If the dog is small, that could be deadly.It turns out that chocolate poisoning is actually not as unusual as it sounds. For a human being, caffeine is toxic at levels of 150 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (see this page). That's the same as for dogs! Humans generally weigh a lot more than dogs, but small children can get into trouble with caffeine or chocolate if they consume too much of it. Infants are especially vulnerable because they don't eliminate caffeine from the bloodstream nearly as quickly as adults."Bottom line here is just don't give chocolate to your dog or any dog for that matter, and I would also advise you to quit buying them those double mocha lattes.

most people say this because it is very ture. Dogs can not' have chocolate because it will give them werms,and when they have werms they get very sick ,and they could dui from this.

Yes. Never give dogs chocolate. Glve ME chocolate!!!!!!!!!! Chocolatechocolatechocolatechocolate........................

Why is chocolate fatal for dogs? Chocolate is made from the beans of the cacao tree. It is not the caffeine but Thebromine that is the toxic chemical found in chocolate that affects dogs adversely. Although caffeine is also present in chocolate, it is in much smaller amounts. Theobromine's effect on the canine body: It is a stimulant to the CNS - Central Nervous System It is a stimulant to the cardiovascular system It increases blood pressure It causes nausea and vomiting Three important factors determine the degree of damage and toxicity; the size of the dog, the type of chocolate eaten and the amount of chocolate consumed. All chocolate is not alike. Unsweetened [baker's] chocolate contains 8-10 times the amount of Theobromine as milk chocolate. Semi-sweet is 4-5 times more potent than milk chocolate. White chocolate contains Theobromine, but is smaller amounts; therefore Theobromine poisoning is unlikely with white chocolate. Concentrations of Theobromine varies as follows: Milk chocolate has 44mg/oz. Semisweet chocolate has 150 mg/oz.; and Baking chocolate has 390mg/oz.

my dog ate a whole box of chocolate, and can still eat chocolate (but doesn't). i think it's just that some dogs can't handle cholocate. i'm sure you can a vet that question or go the library.

It either has something to do with their heart or their liver. If he does eat chocolate your vet can give him something to induce vomiting. Just a little bit won't hurt a big dog but you shouldnt give it to him.