No-No to Chocolate for Dogs PERIOD!

Humans love chocolate. Those of the female persuasion even crave chocolate. One human (usually male) giving chocolate as a gift to another human (usually female) has come to be seen as an act of love (think Valentine's Day). So, as humans often do, we assume that if we give chocolate to our dogs, we are telling them that we love them. What we are really doing is poisoning our dogs by giving them chocolate.

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. Cocoa beans contain methylxanthine alkaloids in the form of theobromine and caffeinea.  Both theobromine and caffeinea are toxic to dogs.

How much chocolate would it take to kill a dog? That depends upon several factors — the size or the dog, the age of the dog, and the overall health of the dog are all contributing factors. But the fact is that giving any chocolate to a dog is too much chocolate.

Even though most of us know to never give chocolate to our dogs, that doesn't mean that our dogs can't consume chocolate. Many dogs are regular food thieves. Given the opportunity, they will simply help themselves to anything and everything in reach, including chocolate. This being the case, you need to know what symptoms to look for in chocolate poisoning.

Symptoms that a dog may exhibit if he has been poisoned by chocolate might be vomiting and diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, and seizures. Dogs might exhibit any or all of these symptoms, and chocolate poisoning can cause a dog to die.

If you suspect that your dog has ingested chocolate, watch him very carefully for any of the above-listed symptoms and if he exhibit any of them, get him to his veterinarian immediately.

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