How Much Chocolate Is Too Much? - Page 2

We buy Hershey candybars by the case.  Every morning with coffee, I have a chocolate bar, and I also give each of our dogs that have stayed in with us for the night, a bar as well.  This has been going on for 2 months.  I have noticed the dog's coats have began to glow.  Their coats look like they have been oiled down.  I have also noticed that my hair is extra shiny.  My eyelashes are longer and thicker as well as my eyebrows.   Both my wife and mother say my hair is really pretty.    Since Hershey has stopped using Cocoa Butter in their products, the various oils that have replaced the butter, works wonders on coats and human hair!!

And top off that candy bar with a tall glass of milk...:)

Milk does a body Good!

And there is nothing like a good body..LOL.

Except two good body's, three's even better still.

And a whole tub full of milk !!!    And candy !!

I am just wondering, if you know that an ingredient in chocolate, namely Theobromine can be toxic why give it to you dogs at all?  I can understand a dog getting on the counter and grabbing some chocolate, by why use it as a treat.  From what I've read every dog has a different tolerance to theobromine and you can't go by charts.  What doesn't effect one dog may make another seriously ill.  I'm not sure how long the chemical can stay in the dogs body and cause ill effects over time as well. 

Also Rainhaus, onions and grapes are not good for dogs either.  Just because the dog likes to eat them doesn't mean it's appropriate for them.  That's where we come in.

FWIW,

Jim

We didn't know chocolate was bad for dogs back then, and... Onyx couldn't READ. If he had, he would've choked when he waws his OFA report. LOL

Hi Shelley,

I hope you know I wasn't referring to you.  Were you able to find a hotel room on Long Island?

Jim

Slamdunc, I really want to keep this convo light and happy.I agree that onions and grapes may not be appropriate.But they have natural qualities and if a dog wants to eat them so be it.Onions hold the greatest quantities of Magnesium period.Grapes and especially the seed hold one of the greatest anti-oxidants known to man.Hmmm chocolate covered marzipan(see's)..basis is almond which is also good.I so want to get into the chemical breakdown of chocolate "Good chocolate" but instead I wish you peace and prosperity.I am off to drink my milk which is not bad for me.hell I drink one gallon every two days.Just need chocolate!!! haha I'll dive into the frozen chocolate yogurt instead.I love this thread.

Rainhaus:

grapes and onions can be toxic to dogs. Here is a link to the ASPCA poisoin control site on effects of dogs eating grapes and raisins :  http://www.aspca.org/site/DocServer/grapes.pdf?docID=189   This post is long; so some may be cutoff. I added the link first becuase I know long posts get boring.  Fact is the anatomy and digestive systems of dogs is different than humans.  What is ok for you can kill a dog.  Please do some research before posting erroneous and inaccurate information.  I don't mean to offend you, but some will read your post and feel it is good to feed a dog grapes or onions, it's not.  A small quantity may do no damage, however toxins can build up in the system over time.

Onions cause hemolytic anemia, which means that the red blood cells break down leaving the dog short of oxygen. Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. The condition generally improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion. The poisoning may occur a few days after the dog has eaten the onion. At first dogs affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhea, weakness and show little or no interest in food. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected dog's urine making it dark colored. The dog will experience shortness of breath because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number. Other symptoms are elevated body temperature, confusion, and increased heart rate. Seek veterinary care immediately. The quantity of onions, raw or cooked, required is high enough that dogs can generally tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of onion without apparent signs of onion poisoning. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness. While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness. Grapes: Although the minimum lethal dosage is not known, grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities. The symptoms are gastrointestinal signs including vomiting and diarrhea, and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion. The amount of grapes eaten varied between 9 oz. and 2 lbs., which worked out to be between 0.41 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight. It has been reported that two dogs died directly from the toxicity, three were euthanized due to poor response to treatment and five dogs lived. Due to the severity of the signs and the potential for death, the veterinarians at the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) advocate aggressive treatment for any dog believed to have ingested excessive amounts of grapes or raisins, including inducing vomiting, stomach pumping and administration of activated charcoal, followed by intravenous fluid therapy for at least 48 hours or as indicated based on the results of blood tests for kidney damage.

Again, I don't mean to offend just to offer a different opinion with information to support it.

Jim

Back when I learned how bad this stuff was for my dogs I thanked my lucky stars I hadn't killed them and stopped giving it to them.  I figure it's my responsibility not to poison my dogs.  I try to keep the processed sugar and other crap out of my dogs, they like meat better anyway.   When you know better, supposedly you do better.