Dogs and Chocolate
I belong to a group of Bloggers that takes on a weekly recipe challenge. This week the challenge was to use Chocolate in a recipe but chocolate is toxic to dogs and while I will do people food recipes I try to stay away from ingredients that are toxic and well dogs and chocolate just don’t mix. Most of you know that you should never give your dog chocolate but what happens if your dog accidentally gets into a chocolate bar, helps itself to a chocolate chip cookie, steals a brownie at a party? How much is too much and requires an immediate race to the emergency vet? How many ounces of chocolate would be fatal. The answer is that all depends on the type of chocolate. The more milk added to the chocolate the LESS toxic it is.
Our friends at petMD want you to be informed so they put together this chocolate toxicity meter because dogs and chocolate should never mix. I played around with the tool and I was surprised by some of the information it produced. The petMD Chocolate Toxicity Meter will let you know how much theobromide and caffeine your dog has consumed and the symptoms that may follow. Enter your dog’s weight, the type of chocolate, and the amount consumed to get started. Click on the image above it will take you directly to the chocolate toxicity meter.
If you never really thought about how dangerous chocolate is to your pet play around with it a bit and then find all the chocolate in the house and put it somewhere the dog will never be able to reach for it. Teach your children that they should never feed your dog or any dog even a bite or lick of chocolate that it can make them very sick.
In case of any pet related emergency you should always have your vet’s contact number as well as your local emergency vet in a place the entire family can find in an emergency. If your pet gets into chocolate or other questionable substance a great resource is the Pet Poison Helpline call 1-855-213-6680.
There is no antidote to chocolate toxicity in dogs – treatment can be given but it is not a cure.
We told you that dogs and chocolate should ever mix but we wanted to share a recipe that your dog can have. Dogs can eat carob a substitute for chocolate. We don’t have carob very often here at the Two Little Cavaliers house and it generally happens when we get sent a fancy box of dog treats to review. But we do have an old recipe using carob chips that the entire family would enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 firm, ripe bananas
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons low fat, plain, unsweetened yogurt
½ tsp. vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon
Toppings, like toasted coconut & carob chips
For the full recipe please visit https://twolittlecavaliers.com/2012/04/cooking-for-dogs-frozen-banana-bites.html
We used to have a dog that somehow got into a brick of the chocolate flavored almond bark. I think the cats somehow knocked it out of the cupboard. She ate almost the whole thing and after calling the vet, I sat up with her all night while she vomited. She was fine and lived a long healthy life. But it was quite a long and scary night with her.
Dawn recently posted..Expectations are resentments waiting to happen
Mom is always extra caution with leaving her stash of chocolate around the house. Those treats look yummy!!
Miley recently posted..A Day in the Park
That’s really good to know. We have cats and not a dog but I always worry they will get into something they shouldn’t.
Ellen Christian recently posted..Healthier Desserts – Chocolate Coconut Bars Recipe
That chocolate meter is really cool! Growing up way back when, we didn’t know about chocolate being a problem. I used to feed our beagle mix chocolate chip cookies all the time. Never did any harm other than make him fat. Wilson got a hold of a chocolate Easter bunny with no issues either, thank goodness. I don’t bake so the really dangerous chocolates aren’t in my house.
Taryn recently posted..Header Retrospective – Part 3
I love chocolate but will only consume it when I am out, nothing at home at all. This saves a lot of worry and I can still get my chocolate fix.