# Is \*imitation\* chocolate toxic to dogs, too? (Aenea wanted to know)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-imitation-chocolate-toxic-to-dogs-too-aenea-wanted-to-know/21773>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [June 8, 2000, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-imitation-chocolate-toxic-to-dogs-too-aenea-wanted-to-know/21773 "2000-06-08T18:08:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-imitation-chocolate-toxic-to-dogs-too-aenea-wanted-to-know/21773/1 "2000-06-08T18:08:48Z")

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Seeing the [“Is chocolate toxic to dogs?”](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_211.html) column posted on the Home Page reminded me that nobody ever answered **Aenea’s** [question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=25311) last month concerning whether imitation chocolate or chocolate-flavored things were also toxic. I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen chocolate-flavored dog treats at the store. I don’t buy fancy treats for my dog (she gets Old Roy’s Finest Dog Biscuits, the kind that come in the 20 lb. bag), so I’ve never noticed.

I looked around on the Web a little but didn’t find anything, off-hand. If the imitation chocolate didn’t contain theobromine, would it be safe to assume that it’s OK? How do you find out whether it contains theobromine (besides asking Cecil)?

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-imitation-chocolate-toxic-to-dogs-too-aenea-wanted-to-know/21773/2 "2000-06-08T19:32:51Z")

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I HAVE seen “chocolate treats for dogs”, and asked this same question in a different forum a few years ago. Somebody said the “dog chocolates” are carob, which apparently doesn’t contain theobromine. But I wouldn’t feed dogs carob either. Even if it was safe, why get them to develop a taste for something which isn’t?