Dogs + Chocolate

Is white choc. just as toxic for animals as milk and dark?

 

Yes...

 

Thanks.

 

Its the sugar, their hearts beat alot faster than ours!!!

 

So....does that mean they shouldn't have sugar or is it just something special in chocholate? My dog has a serious love for anything sweet....sometimes I hold a lollipop for her and she will lick it to death...as a *special* treat- so on occasion. But I'm always letting her have atleast a bite or two of whatever I'm eating...including icecream and all that......I know it's not *healthy* but I want to make sure it's not toxic............and no she isn't fat...I'm not one of those people who feed their dog tons of people food and let her get obese & unhealthy. Plus she gets daily walks and runs.

 

I am not sure and dont want to risk tellin you the wrong thing. I know I am always feeding my dog whatever I am eat, but I eat alot of fruits and veggies and good stuff. My dog loves bananas! I wonder if there is a WEBMD for animals online, if not there should be! I would just be on the safe side and watch the sugar content on what you give your k9.

 

Thanks....you've raised a good question. I'll see what info I can find although I'm assuming it's only chocolate....that's just my opinion though.....

 

Well it was because of you I raised those, so WOOHOO use!!

 

My dog really loves chips and french onion dip

 

My dog has gotten into chocolate by accident as well (just a little) and she was OK as I pretty much expected her to be...but choc. IS toxic to cats and dogs (maybe other animals too I dont know) and intentionally giving it to them is asking for trouble IMO. It seems to be my dog's favorite though and it kills her everytime I eat it (no pun intended)and don't share so I no longer eat chocholate in front of her....I have to sneak it when she is around

But her absolute favorite is hard boiled eggs which I do make her atleast once a week.

 

My Angus would eat anything I give him...

But I try not to over feed him...
He has a thyroid problem and gains weight easly.
CHOCOLATE is bad for any animal.


Fer, The Vet Tech!

 

So does anyone know why it is bad for em???

 

What I heard, chocolate has theobromine in it which is toxic to them. See http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=1390 & http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/humanfood.htm

The following I've only read in a couple places, specifically for cats, & the above websites didn't mention it, so I don't know whether it's true:
Giving them very small amounts is still harmful, since it'll interfere with their ability to absort vitamine K. This is a compounding problem; so if they ingest it for years and are fine, that doesn't mean nothing is happening! Eventually they'll reach the point where their body can't absorb enough vitamin K anymore, and even vitamin supplements won't help (since they'll just pass it through).

 

Thanks for the links

 

That's not entirely true -- chocolate can be very beneficial to alot of animals. I give my rats chocolate all the time. It helps to clear their bronchial tubes and is extremely helpful if ever dealing with a mycoplasmosis outbreak. Chocolate has also been shown to lower cholesterhol in people and help clear plaque from the arteries.

Chocolate contains a caffeine-like compound called theobromine. Caffeine, itself, is not good for dogs either (hence coffee being extremely toxic to dogs), so it's kind of like a double blow. Unsweetened baker's chocolate is the WORST. Milk chocolate and white chocolate are fairly mild and a dog would need to eat quite a bit to have a toxic reaction (although even a small amount can make a dog pretty sick with indigestion).

 

There is an easy answer to this problem:

Give your pets pet chocolate. There are plenty of pet treats (for just about EVERY animal) that are 'choc treats', but not real chocolate. Okay, so you don't give them excessive amounts of this, even if it's safe, as too much of any type of treat is bad for the animal, but pet choclate doesn't contain theobromine, as far as I'm aware.

 

Welsh Werecat is right, there are treats made with something that tastes very much like chocolate, called "carob." You buy buy carob treats for dogs, or you can also make your own. You can buy carob or carob chips at the grocery store.

Honey is alright. But what type of honey? Some brands of honey that you buy have sugar added. Dogs are borderline diabetic and cannot have alot of sugar. They will get diabetes if they have too much. That's why I like to get treats that have no sugar added.

 

Also ~sugar causes cavities so unless you brush your dog's teeth daily then giving him sugary treats isn't that great an idea. And I suppose that if your dog gets a cavity they will have to pull that tooth - never heard of a doggie filling - and I'm sure that wouldn't be too fun for him or your wallet...having to pay for pain killers and all.

I try to brush my dog's teeth but it is a hassle....she hates it and runs from me. It usually ends up with me chasing her around the house -toothbrush in hand. She does the same thing when she gets a bath. As soon as I take my hands off her to grab the shampoo or somthing she takes off running and I have to chase her around.....she is so cute.

 

Heya. I had to clarify... the answer to your question is actually NO. White chocolate does not contain as much theobromine as dark chocolate. Theobromine is the stuff that kills dogs. The caffeine and sugar are still bad, but not deadly. But it's still not such a hot idea to share that Toberlone with Toto.
P.S. My dog wanted me to add that baths are extremely toxic and unhealthy to dogs. Ummm. Yeah.

 

hehe.......