# dogs and chocolate **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878 "2003-06-19T06:48:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ata66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@ata66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ata66)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/1 "2003-06-19T06:48:09Z")
is there any truth to something i heard about not letting dogs eat chocolate? if so, what happens to the dog and why? ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/2 "2003-06-19T06:54:57Z")
Chocolate can be poison to a dog’s system. I don’t know why. I have a friend who feeds her dog chocolate and he seems to be okay except that he is extremely obese. It’s really not a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/3 "2003-06-19T06:57:43Z")
[Is chocolate toxic to dogs?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_211.html) ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/4 "2003-06-19T07:11:09Z")
What do my dog’s chocolate treats “Choc Drops” have/not have that makes them ok for the dog to eat? ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/5 "2003-06-19T07:26:03Z")
Choc drops are no more chocolate than Beggin Strips are bacon. Both are designed to amuse owners. Dogs would be just as happy with gizzards. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/6 "2003-06-19T09:22:26Z")
Choc drops are carob. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/7 "2003-06-19T12:43:36Z")
There are also reports of toxicity from dogs eating cocoa shell mulch used in gardens. Dogs are pigs. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/8 "2003-06-28T00:14:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by j.c. \* > \*\*Choc drops are no more chocolate than Beggin Strips are bacon. Both are designed to amuse owners. Dogs would be just as happy with gizzards. \*\* But they _taste_ like chocolate. Gizzards don’t. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/9 "2003-06-28T02:01:13Z")
Our beagle got into some chocolate once and she never had a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Bandanaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@Bandanaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bandanaman)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/10 "2003-06-28T02:10:21Z")
My dog ate the S/O’s chocolate bunny last Easter, and almost died. Fortunately, the S/O can’t aim too well when she’s po’d. ---
**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/11 "2003-06-28T02:59:27Z")
my dog ate like 2 dozen brownies once. well, we blame it all on him, but the other mutt might’ve helped. i don’t think brownies are quite as “chocolate” as chocolate tho’. ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/12 "2003-06-28T03:43:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skogcat \* > \*\*But they _taste_ like chocolate. > \*\* Ugh. For the record, choc drops do not taste like chocolate. They taste like sand and sugar. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/13 "2003-06-28T05:28:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Magayuk \* > \*\*Ugh. For the record, choc drops do not taste like chocolate. They taste like sand and sugar. \*\* If even! My sister tricked me once into eating a “Dog Kiss”. She told me it was a Hershey Kiss that had just melted a bit (which is why it was flatter). I gagged on the combination of carob and beef fat. :eek: My almost 3-year-old daughter thought she’d be nice and feed mommy’s Christmas chocolates to our terrier puppies. My wife called an emergency vet service, and they instructed her on how to induce vomiting (Hydrogen peroxide, BTW). After clearing out their stomachs, she was told to look for hyperactivity as a sign that they may have absorbed too much theobromine and/or caffeine. My wife pause a beat, then reminded them that these were terriers, who are _unhyper_ only when asleep. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/14 "2003-06-28T07:35:42Z")
Dogs and cats can’t break down theobromine, which can cause all sorts of problems. They also don’t digest sugar well, so they tend to get diarrhea from eating chocolate or various other candies/baked goods. All chocolates aren’t equally bad for your pet; they have different concentrations of theobromine in them, and the less concentrated forms are less dangerous. They’re higher in sugar content, though, so you have an even greater chance of osmotic diarrhea. The worst, by far, is baking chocolate/cocoa powder, follwed by dark chocolate, semi-sweet, milk chocolate, and chocolate flavored baked goods. (Things like brownies and chocolate cake have the theobromine diluted out with not only sugar but flour and eggs and such.) Also, if the dog eats the 1lb Whitman’s Sampler you got from Aunt Sara, he didn’t eat a pound of chocolate, so don’t freak too much. Things like that are mostly just dipped in a thin layer of chocolate, with other stuff in the fillings. Your dog probably won’t have a reaction to the chocolate, but I’d suggest keeping a clear shot between the dog and the door at all times, 'cause he’s gonna be doing the Green Apple Two-Step for a while. If your pet does eat a bunch of chocolate, and it’s been within the last 30-40 minutes, induce vomiting with 1tsp peroxide/10lbs of dog. (If your don’t have a syringe, a turkey baster works well for squirting it down their throats. Tilt the head up, hold the snout firmly, and squirt a little bit at a time into the back of the mouth. If you go too fast, the dog will choke or manage to spit or drool a lot of it out.) If there’s no puke in 10 minutes, repeat the process. If the second dose doesn’t do the trick, call the vet. It’s a good idea to have a pet first aid kit for just this sort of eventuality. You should have a rectal thermometer, a syringe/eyedropper/turkey baster, hydrogen peroxide, styptic powder for minor cuts, bandage material, and either a muzzle or a roll of bandaging to make a gauze muzzle. (A hurt or frightened animal is **far** more likely to bite you than an aggressive animal, so be safe.) ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/15 "2003-06-28T08:16:23Z")
Is it possible for a **human** to get a theobromine overdose? just by pigging chocolate that is? ---
**Author:** ![The\_MacDairmuid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_MacDairmuid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_MacDairmuid)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/16 "2003-06-28T09:20:27Z")
**Disclaimer** : My dog was special. Do no try this with your dog the account of my story. My dog Sandy was a chocolate fiend if ever there was one. If left unsupervised for an hour or two, she would sniff out any Christmas gift containing chocolate, shred the wrapping, and devour the chocolatey contents contained therein. My parents soon realized that chocolatey Christmas gifts had to be specially stored. We knew the standard rule of “Don’t give chocolate to your dog” but after 3-4 years of her gift-nabbing–plus the time in between chocolatey Christmas gifts–we figured Sandy would not be harmed by chocolate. She lived 17 years–eating all chocolate she could manage during those years. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/17 "2003-06-28T23:15:53Z")
**The MacDairmuid** How funny! I had been reading the thread and intending to post about a (sadly deceased) family dog, but you dog sounds _exactly_ the same. Incidentally I was only a child and did not know about theobromine, and I think my folks did not know. At any rate - indeed yes - if there was _any_ way she could get at coccy, she would, in cluding the Easters eggs hidden in a cupboard. Ye Gods - we had such an in-depth enquiry about that - with the parents refusing to believe that this was not the work of one of us kids. Tthat dog alsoo lived until the age of 17. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/18 "2003-06-29T00:28:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Magayuk \* > \*\*Ugh. For the record, choc drops do not taste like chocolate. They taste like sand and sugar. \*\* Well, the ones we feed to our dog taste like chocolate. He says so. ---
**Author:** ![quelquechose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/6f9a4e/32.png) [@quelquechose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quelquechose)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-and-chocolate/182878/19 "2003-06-29T00:51:28Z")
My dog once ate a whole bag of chocolate chips, and nothing happened. He also likes to eat fruit (and several other strange things), so he is probably not a very typical dog.