Or does it just vary??
my dogs are collie X kelpie and blue cattle dog…
They eaten over 5 full family share block of chocolate..and they never gotten sick or been close to kill.
Oh! Just to let you know, they managed to get them from tables etc…
ALL breeds of dogs can become seriously ill and could even die from eating chocolate. It is toxic to them. The darker it is, the more dangerous to them as it contains more cocoa and the ingredient theobromine is what makes them sick.
It can also be potentially fatal if eaten as it iritates the GI tract and be treated asap, such as induced vomiting to get it out of the system.
The size of the dog also matters, a smaller dog would be more affected by the same amount as a larger breed.
Theobromine’s effect on the body:
Central Nervous System (CNS) stimulant
Cardiovascular stimulant
Increase blood pressure (mild)
Nausea and vomiting
Signs of toxicity are most commonly seen within 12 hours (or less) of chocolate ingestion:
- Excitement / nervousness / trembling
- Vomiting / diarrhea
- Excessive thirst / sometimes excessive urination (at higher levels of Theobromine toxicity)
- Muscle spasms
- Seizures
- Coma (rare
- Death (rare) — likely due to heart rhythm abnormalities
Your dogs may have been lucky in the fact they didnt become really ill, unless they had a bad case of diarrhoea at all? In which case the chocolate would have done that.
Next time they may not be so lucky!!
January 31st, 2010 at 4:57 am
well it depends, a tiny dog can eat less than a Dane
it depends on the sturdyness of their immune system
all i know it that it isnt good for them, and avoid it if you can
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January 31st, 2010 at 5:18 am
to tell u the truth any dog can die from chocolate
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January 31st, 2010 at 6:00 am
all dogs can if they eat enough chocolate,there is an ingredient they cannot digest.
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January 31st, 2010 at 6:26 am
Why chocolate poisons dogs and how to treat chocolate dog poisoning
While the pathetic begging look that goes across the face of a dog wanting chocolate can weaken the most stoic dog owner, stay firm. Do not give in. Ever.
Once dogs have tasted chocolate, they want more.
And for dogs, that’s a bad thing.
You might disagree, thinking back to a time when you noticed a dog enjoying a tidbit of chocolate with no deleterious effect.
Don’t be fooled.
The problem, according to veterinary experts, is that eating a speck of chocolate leads a dog to crave more. It can mean that your dog will jump at a opportunity to get any type of chocolate, not knowing that certain chocolates are more lethal than other types. Larger amounts of chocolate, particularly of the most toxic type, can bring about epileptic seizures in some dogs, and in all dogs, can kill.
Poisoning of dogs by chocolate is not as uncommon as you might think.
"Chocolate ingestions are one common reason why pet owners and veterinarians call us," said Dana Farbman, Certified Veterinary Technician and Manager, Client and Professional Relations, ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. "However, it would be difficult to verify an exact ranking in frequency of calls, as the types of substances we receive calls on can vary greatly depending on many factors, including the time of year. We generally do experience somewhat of a rise in chocolate calls around holidays, such as Halloween, Easter, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Why is Chocolate Lethal?
Chocolate contains theobromine. A naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean, theobromine increases urination and affects the central nervous system as well as heart muscle. While amounts vary by type of chocolate, it’s the theobromine that is poisonous to dogs.
Symptoms of Chocolate Dog Ingestion and Poisoning
You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there’s increased absorption of the toxic substance, you’ll see an increase in the dog’s heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting.
This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.
How Much Chocolate Is Deadly?
If a 50-pound dog eats a teaspoonful of milk chocolate, it’s not going to cause serious problems. However, if that same dog gorges himself on a two-layer chocolate cake, his stomach will feel more than upset and soon it’s likely he’ll be vomiting or experiencing diarrhea.
To answer the question "How much is too much" is not simple. The health and age of your dog must be considered. Obviously if your dog is aged and not in top shape, his reaction to a plate of chocolate is going to be different from a young healthy dog of the same weight.
Another fact that must be considered is this: Not all chocolate is the same. Some has a small amount of theobromine; another type has a large amount and still another contains an amount that is somewhere in between. The quantity has a relationship with the weight of your dog. Small dogs can be poisoned, it is easy to understand, from smaller amounts of theobromine than large dogs.
Which chocolate is the safest, relatively speaking? White chocolate. It has the least amount of theobromine: 1 mg per ounce. Far on the other side of the spectrum is baking chocolate, which has a huge 450 mg of theobromine per ounce!
Here are a few other chocolates for you to ponder: hot chocolate, 12 mg of theobromine per ounce; milk chocolate, 60 mg/oz; and up there near baking chocolate: semi-sweet chocolate with 260 mg/oz.
You might try using this to remember these chocolates from least to most toxic: What Happy Moose Says BAA? Or: White-Hot-Milk-Semi-Baked. If you have a better way to remember, contact us!
Knowing which chocolate is the most toxic is important, but leaves one wondering how much must be eaten to poison a dog. The list in this box should be helpful. Maybe you can clip it and post it on your refrigerator?
* White chocolate: 200 ounces per pound of body weight. It takes 250 pounds of white chocolate to cause signs of poisoning in a 20-pound dog, 125 pounds for a 10-pound dog.
* Milk chocolate: 1 ounce per pound of body weight. Approximately one pound of milk chocolate is poisonous to a 20-pound dog; one-half pound for a 10-pound dog. The average chocolate bar contains 2 to 3 ounces of milk chocolate. It would take 2-3 candy bars to poison a 10 pound dog. Semi-sweet chocolate has a similar toxic level.
* Sweet cocoa: 0.3 ounces per pound of body weight. One-third of a pound of sweet cocoa is toxic to a 20-pound dog; 1/6 pound for a 10-pound dog.
* Baking chocolate: 0.1 ounce per pound body weight. Two one-ounce squares of bakers’ chocolate is toxic to a 20-pound dog; one ounce for
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Don’t give it to your dogs. They can get addicted, eat a lot of it and die.
http://www.dogownersdigest.com/news/library/chocolate-dog-poisoning.shtml
January 31st, 2010 at 7:05 am
ANY dog can be killed by chocolate.
But it depends on how much chocolate, and what kind.
For milk chocolate.. it takes about an ounce of chocolate per pound of dog.. a small 15 pound dog would have to eat about a pound of it to die!
Dark chocolate contains even more of the toxin, and baker’s chocolate is the worst!
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January 31st, 2010 at 7:35 am
ALL dog breeds can be killed by chocolate. Stop feeding this to your dogs–it is like you going out to the local gas station and drinking your weight in energy drinks. NOT GOOD. Too much caffine, is the simple explanation.
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January 31st, 2010 at 8:25 am
any breed can be killed by chocolate. especially, dark chocolate.
just, the amount is different by the size.
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January 31st, 2010 at 9:12 am
any dog can but they hhave if it eats a lot of chocolate. It’s true that chocolate contains theobromine and in high doses this can be lethal to dogs
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January 31st, 2010 at 10:01 am
I don’t think it’s the dog breed. It’s more of how much theobromine there is in the chocolate they ate. That chemical in chocolate is what’s toxic to dogs. The toxicity of theobromine is dose dependent. This means that the size of your pet, the type of chocolate, and quantity of chocolate determine if or how toxic it is for your pet. It’s still ill advised to feed them any, as you might push them into the point of poisoning. My cited source will tell you more on that.
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http://www.monmouth.army.mil/monmessg/newmonmsg/mar172006/m11dogs.htm
January 31st, 2010 at 10:46 am
i just generally wouldnt give chocolate to a dog anyway
and if it beggs say no you have to show some authority
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January 31st, 2010 at 11:18 am
I think a lot depends on their size & the amount eaten. I don’t know what a family share of block chocolate is, but my lab/dane mix ate an entire pound of dark chocolate while I was at work & the vet said that if he was a smaller dog, he would’ve been dead. He had diarrhea for about 5 days.
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January 31st, 2010 at 11:54 am
NOT breed related!
As you’ve PROVEN,the chocolate-poisoning-phobia is NOT as big a deal as the hysterical "chicken-littles" claim
SIZE of dog & AMOUNT of which type of chocolate are the determiners..
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January 31st, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Any dog can die from eating to much chocolate, it depends on the size of the dog and the amount they have eaten. The naturally occurring theobromine found in chocolate, cocoa beans, cocoa bean hulls, cola, and tea, is responsible for the poisoning effect in dogs. Dogs are unable to metabolize this element quickly enough to prevent poisoning. The lethal dose of this agent is determined by weight and falls roughly into the category of 250-500 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. This equates to approximately 2/3 to 1 1/3 oz bakers chocolate for every 2.2 pounds though signs of poisoning begin to appear at a much lower ingestion levels.
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January 31st, 2010 at 12:38 pm
All types of dogs can.
Next time try to refrain from letting your dogs eat the chocolate. It may not of been intentional but it’s best for their health if they don’t eat it. Just because they’ve eaten it before, it doesn’t mean that something won’t happen next time.
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January 31st, 2010 at 12:59 pm
All dogs die to chocolate.It could make them very ill and is very fatal.
Why not feed them with chocolate drops specially formulated for dogs?
Your dogs are large breeds so they are stronger than smaller breeds of dogs.
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January 31st, 2010 at 1:49 pm
ok, short and sweet all dogs can get sick from chocolate but only if they eat more than their immune system can take, just be careful
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experiance
January 31st, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Some times they will die only unless it’s a specific kind of chocolate and I would never give a dog chocolate only if it’s a scrap dog.
Be careful and Bye
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January 31st, 2010 at 3:00 pm
ALL breeds. It seems that you were just very blessed to have them survive! Best to not leave it anywhere they could even remotely have a chance of getting it- just like you would safe keep poisons for a baby.
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