Hi! I was wondering if it is really true that dogs can die from eating chocolate. If it is true than I have a "wonder dog". Jenny has eaten a whole bag of chocolate at one time, choolate cake, commercial chocolates, butterscotch candies with the wrappers, coffee cakes, crayons and many more items that have been said to make a dog sick. Its unbelievable, because she never seems to have an upset stomach afterward and its evident that she is the culprit. Hey, I might be able to put her in the circus! Only one problem...she'll never eat anything when we're home.

-- Abigail F. (treeoflife@sws.nb.ca), May 08, 2000

Answers

Yes it can be toxic to dogs .You have to be carefull if she's getting into things when your not home , maybe a dog crate or someplace safer for her to be might help "laundryroom or maybe a feed room in the barn " What would concern me is possible poisoning or an intestional blockage.If a blockage where to happen its a very expensive surgery or you would have to put her down .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), May 08, 2000.

Abigail, I also had heard of this, though my Mom in CA, makes choclolate chip cookies all the time, and feeds them as treats to the horses and dogs all the time. I continued with this and I think this is one reason my dogs are so well behaved, they know I walk around with treats all the time. I have been trying to curb some of the chocolate sharing of my treats now that I know this to be true, though we have never had any trouble with it. We also had a ridgeback who got into candy under the Christmas Tree and ate about 2 pounds of fudge. She had no ill effects, in fact I didn't even know it was fudge until I called to see what was in the package. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), May 08, 2000.

chocolate can be toxic, came home one day to find our dog gracie[ the orange stealer] had found the valintine candy we had set aside for the kids [two pounds worth]called the vet I think toxic level was 3 ounces per pound of body weight[dont remember exactly]so her being over weight and a large breed saved her[ she weighs about 100lbs].Also depends If It was staight chocolate or If it Is just poured over top[ divinity ect].

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), May 08, 2000.

Last year I decided to be creative at Eastertime and make chocolate bunnies for the foster children,as well as for my hulking teen aged son.I used dark chocolate and made a half pound bunny for everyone.My son left his on the kitchen counter and a split second later our Black Lab, who had never before been a thief, jumped up, grabbed the bunny and ran upstairs drooling chocolate all the way. Three gulps and it was gone. I called our Vet and she said "Don't worry about chocolate, it's only the DARK kind that is toxic to some dogs"...When she heard it WAS the dark kind, we ran the dog to her office where he had a nice meal of charcoal, followed by the most awful GI upset I have ever seen..aside from being "hyper-dog" from all that sugar, he was just fine !!!!

-- Lesley Chasko (martchas@gateway.net), May 08, 2000.

We saw an episode of Emergency Vets on the Animal Planet where a dog ate a whole basket of Easter candy. They did the throw-up then charcole routine. But the vet said he had never had a dog die from milk chocolate posioning but the dark bakers chocolate was very bad. The caffine in chocolate is bad for them too. That's probably what made Leslie's dog "hyper".

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), May 08, 2000.

When I was still in high school my parents rottie also decided to swipe 2lbs of molded chocolates. We watched him and other than the hyper affect he was fine. The funny thing was my mother walked out of her bedroom easter morning and demanded to know who had swiped the chocolate. Her african grey announced "I did!" We all gave the bird a dirty look and my mom said "no you didn't, you'd be dead!" Within minites we had figured out it was the dog. annette

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), May 09, 2000.

Here's the scoop. Chocolate intoxication is due to a chemical called theobromide. High levels cause restlessness, tremors, heart arrhythmis, seizures and death. Baking chocolate is more toxic than milk chocolate. The toxicity is dose dependent. For example a 10 lb dog would have to eat 1 oz of baking chocolate or 10 oz (8 candy bars) to reach toxic levels. The average labrador would have to eat 1/2 a pound of baking and over 4 pounds of milk chocolate to get into the dangerous range.Even if the toxic levels are not reached, large quantities can give a whopping good stomach ache with vomiting and diarrhea. So a chocolate chip cookie here and there should not cause any problem but the easter bunnies may be another story!

-- teresa (teresam@ascent.net), May 09, 2000.