Why is chocolate so bad for dogs?

looney_tunes

Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which is toxic to dogs (but not to humans). "The type of chocolate that is most dangerous is unsweetened baking chocolate and cocoa powder. Other types containing high levels of theobromine are dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate. Lower levels of the toxin are found in sweetened milk chocolate, other candy/lollies and rarelyin landscaping containing cacao shells. White chocolate contains negligible amounts of theobromine." http://www.drvet.com.au/health.asp?HealthIssueID=11 May 31 10, 1:50 PM

looney_tunes

Actually, they do, because many dogs love chocolate despite the risk of poisoning. (A parallel with humans and alcohol, among other substances, could be made!) But usually they use cocoa butter rather than cocoa, or carob, milk chocolate - the lower end of the toxicity scale. So if you want to give your dog chocolate, SMALL quantities of chocolate-for-dogs is acceptable. Never human chocolate. http://chocolicktreats.com/ I would like to point out that knowing how to locate people who sell dog chocolates does not mean I feed them to my dogs (well represented in flopsymopsy's amazing avatar). Strange as it seems, dog chocolates are so popular that supermarkets carry them - and a generic brand, at that! They do get the occasional pizza crust. But, like chocolate, any onions on your pizza are a dangerous food of which you need to beware. Also macadamia nuts (not that you'd think there's much temptation there). http://www.petalia.com.au/Templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=257 May 31 10, 4:03 PM

fado72

Chocolate is severely toxic to dogs because it contains theobromine. http://hubpages.com/hub/Why-cant-dogs-eat-Chocolate Sep 11 10, 4:51 PM