Oct 02 2008
It’s A Myth That Chocolate Candy Bars Kill Dogs
You’ve probably heard the myth that if your dog eats a chocolate candy bar, it’ll keel over and die. Your dog would actually have to eat a whole lot of chocolate for it to die. Of course, it depends on the size and weight of the dog but the fact of the matter is that the chocolate candy bars today aren’t pure chocolate. The chocolate candy bar makers, the ones who use chocolate candy molds to create their bars and other candy pieces, insert other ingredients in them as well. Now if your dog gets a hold of pure chocolate, such as you find in expensive chocolates, that could be very dangerous. However, if your dog just happens to eat a piece of a chocolate candy bar, it should be fine as long as you don’t let it happen too often.
Ask Your Vet
If your dog just ate a chocolate candy bar or a piece of one, don’t be too worried. Your dog will likely just enjoy the treat and be fine. However, if you’re really worried you can always take your dog to the vet to get checked out. Your dog can’t really tell you when something’s wrong like a child can, but you should be able to tell if your dog doesn’t feel well. Signs that your dog doesn’t feel well might be if it’s vomiting, if it’s suddenly lethargic, if it doesn’t want to play, etc. If you see signs that your dog is acting out of the ordinary, and this is after it ate part or all of a chocolate candy bar, you should then take your dog to the vet. However, it’s likely that your dog will just throw it up if anything. Again, the chocolate candy bars today aren’t pure enough to be that harmful to dogs.
Not As A Treat
Now just because chocolate candy bars won’t kill your dog doesn’t mean you should use them as dog treats. Dogs should still stick to dog food or dog treats. People food of any kind really isn’t good for your dog. Dogs need certain types of nutrients and foods that are found in the dog foods you buy at the store. Of course you can make your own dog food if you know how, but people food and chocolate candy bars really aren’t made for dogs’ digestive systems so they should never be used as treats.
Related posts:
- Gourmet Chocolate Bars for Special Occasions
- Milk Chocolate — a Sweet, Delicious Trend
- Learning About Dark Chocolate Nutrition
- Chocolate Peanut Crackle Clusters
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my dog Beatle ate like 10 mini snickers in the wrappers, that crazy mutt. is he gonna be okay?
Dominic, your pup will be fine.
I have a 7lb poodle who eats chocolate that we leave around and she’s 11 years old. She’s been doing this since she was about 4 and she’s completely healthy. The only thing that really “happened” was that her teeth got really rotten so that was a big bill. It’s a myth. I might go give my Cattle Dog this last piece of chocolate cake. *shrug* It’s a myth.
“chocolate contains theobromine, an alkaloid that dogs can’t metabolize quickly. If a dog ingests a large amount of chocolate, the theobromine can build up and reach a toxic level of concentration, leading to cardiac arrest. Different types of chocolate are more harmful than others, and the effects will vary, depending upon the size and weight of the dog. However, it is potentially lethal.
If you know your dog has ingested chocolate (signs of chocolate poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive urination, a quick heart rate, and rapid breathing) take him to a vet immediately.”
You are being way too casual about poisoning your pet. Chocolate contains theobromine, and some sugar-free candy contains xylitol. These are toxins to dogs that will stay in their system even if it doesn’t hurt them right away. If you keep feeding your dog sweets ‘every once in a while’, eventually you’re gonna hit a chamber with a live bullet.
Do research beyond this site or start shopping for a nice little plot at the local pet cemetery.
I have to agree with Reverend Flash. It’s not a good idea to tell dog owners that a little bit of a poison (yes, toxin still means poison) is ok once in a while. The theobromine cannot be eliminated by the liver and the effects can accumulate. By the time you realize your dog is sick, it is already reacting to the toxin in it’s system and it cannot be eliminated by vomiting because the vomiting is caused by the toxin having already entered the bloodstream and reached the liver. IT IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE YOUR DOG CHOCOLATE! New information is great as long as it doesn’t minimize a potentially dangerous substance.