DOGS AND the Danger of CHOCOLATE which includes your own Dog!
Give chocolate to loved ones, and you could end up poisoning them. That is, if the loved one is your pet dog.
Even small amounts of Theo bromine, an ingredient in chocolate, can cause vomiting and restlessness in pets. Larger doses can be fatal. While most pet owners expect a dog to develop an upset stomach after eating a large amount of chocolate, few realize its danger or toxic potential.
The lethal dose of Theo bromine depends on the size of the dog and the type of chocolate. Ounce for ounce, baking chocolate has six to nine times as much of the substance as milk chocolate does.
Estimates of the smallest amounts that can be fatal are:
4 ounces of milk chocolate or 1/2 ounce of baking chocolate for small dogs, such as Chihuahuas and toy poodles.
8 ounces of milk chocolate or 2 ounces of baking chocolate for medium-sized dogs, like cocker spaniels and dachshunds.
8 ounces of milk chocolate or 4 ounces of baking chocolate for large dogs, including collies and Labrador retrievers.
Cats have much different eating habits and seldom are poisoned by chocolate.
While a very small amount of chocolate may not harm some dogs, it's safest to avoid giving it to them at all. If an accident occurs, a veterinarian should be consulted. Treatment may require inducing vomiting, stabilizing the animal's heartbeat and respiration, controlling seizures and slowing the absorption of Theo bromine. If the animal already is comatose, its stomach may need to be pumped.
Theo bromine does not completely leave the dogs system, as do some foods, my research informs me that Theo Bromine has a half life of 17.5 hours. This means that half of it has gone in 17.5 hours; in 35 hours another half of the half that was remaining will have gone. We can go on and on forever and ever getting less and less, to be silly about it, it never gets to zero!
There always has to be something left for there to be a half of something. Its like a radio wave/signal travelling into space, it will reduce by half over a given distance, it repeats this time and again, but it never gets to zero. Trying to find it after a time will be difficult then impossible of course, as with Theo bromine.
So we have a time factor to consider also apart from a safe amount, its important to remember this on behalf of your dog,,, better still don’t give your dog chocolate...............
The Theo bromine in other sweets and biscuits, cakes, coated in chocolate or with chocolate chips etc. will be less of course, but its wise to avoid all these things.
Health food shops stock, none chocolate choc drops for humans; I am told these are fine, but, its good practise to ask for the ingredient list to check for Theo bromine and then ask your VET. And remember ingredients can change without notice.
As in all case of animal safety, I cant say this enough, ask your vet, this page is no exception, don’t take my word as being accurate. All dogs can be different, as are humans; it may be there is a dog out there that could be killed by the smallest dose of chocolate. This page does not suggest that any dose is safe, on all matters covered here; please ask your vet who is your correct authority. GOOD BOY CHOC DROPS
(Branded choc drops for dogs sold in pet shops)
Now to good boy choc drops.
I wrote to Good Boy because of they do not state on their packets of choc drops what the full ingredients are.
I suggested that they made it quite plain because I have heard it suggested that good boy choc drops are possibly normal choc rejects.
The packet labels did nothing to dispel this rumour.
After two mails good boy wrote back and made the following declaration.........
Dear John,
Thank you for your concern regarding the Choc Drops.
We have forwarded this information up to our marketing manager for their Consideration. There are no ingredients in the Good Boy Choc Drops that are toxic to dogs. The ingredients are: Sugar, Soy Flour, Cocoa Powder, DiCalcium PHosphate, Glucose Syrup, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Panthothentic Acid.
If you have any further questions or concerns please contact our Internet Customer Service Department at 1-800-381-7179, or via email, at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Nick
Internet Customer Service
I have investigated further as cocoa powder is listed above and cocoa does contain theo bromine which if enough is consumed is toxic.
I wrote a letter to a vet, the mail I sent and the reply is below.......
Dear Sir, I am sorry to intrude on your time, if however you have a moment and are inclined to help me,,, could you tell me if the chocolate sold in pet shops, like good boy choc drops, still has Theo bromine in it.
I received the following reply........
I'm afraid it does. Chocolate can still be toxic to dogs because of the Theo bromine included in it. Although most commercial chocolate has such low levels, large amounts of chocolate need to be ingested before clinical signs or illness are seen.
The safest way to avoid toxicity is to avoid giving Chocolate to your dog. I hope this helps.
Vets Name withheld. I have seen in the UK a newer re-sealable packet stating as follows.....
GOOD BOY CHOC DROPS ARE A SPECIALLY FORMULATED CHOCOLATE SUBSTITUTE FOR DOGS. NORMAL CHOCOLATE CAN BE HARMFUL TO DOGS.
I have only investigated the brand known as "Good Boy" which is sold in many countries.
Where each batch is made is unknown, any country could have this product labelled, and shipped to your country, what standards would apply would be a matter for the supplier and country concerned.
The amounts of each ingredient in each batch is NOT shown, nor are the ingredients fully or even to a small degree shown. However the number of choc drops that should be consumed is show as 6 to 10 for small dogs. If you look enough it states this is the daily guideline.
It seems reasonable to assume that any claim of accuracy, of quantity, of any ingredient, is a matter for you the reader to decide against the background that,,,
The law in the UK does not appear to require an ingredient list for dog foods
The company Armitage says on its new packets, that the choc drops are a chocolate substitute, when in effect they have a, "reduced the quantity of cocoa powder in their dog chocolate".
This to me is legal people playing with words, so let me put it a different way…. The ingredient that contains Theo bromine is cocoa powder, this substance has not been substituted, it still remains in dog chocolate. We have to rely on the word of companies who would play with words to guard our pets.
After that we are asked to trust them with regards to a guarantee of quantity, which is not printed on packets, indeed, an ingredients list is not printed, and if it were, who inspects this declaration, answer, those who play with words.
Eventually I received the following letter from Armitages the suppliers of Good Boy choc drops in the UK.. Perhaps elsewhere also
Dear ?
As a caring company producing feeding stuffs for all pet animals we are well aware of the implications of various ‘safe’ human foods in particular animals.
Chocolate is one such human product which can be extremely dangerous to dogs and especially smaller dogs.
The active ingredient in cocoa is Theobromine. Theobromine is used in the veterinary trade in the form of its Salicylate as a diuretic for dogs. A therapeutic dose range is 0.15 - 0.5g for small-large dogs. The drops are formulated to contain a very small amount of cocoa powder and it’s effect is substituted by high quality flavourings.
Our choc drops contain Theobromine at the level of 0.03% w/w which means that small dog would need to eat 500g of drops immediately and a large dog 2.5k immediately to constitute a therapeutic dose of Theobromine.
The feeding instruction on our packs recommends feeding amounts that can be given to a dog in absolute safety, providing a very acceptable treat and a calculated amount of vitamins necessary to keep a dog in good health.
You may safely feed your pet on Good Boy Choc Drops and any of the many products we have in our range.
Assuring you of our best interests at all times.
Carol Greaves
C Greaves (Mrs)
Customer Relations
A point worth making is as follows....
Aspirin can be Toxic but if it is used sensibly its health giving, True, but then we all know that we are very limited in the amount we can take, and we are told it is toxic if enough is taken. This is not the case for Good Boy.
My common appreciation is that good boy chocolate drops are not a chocolate substitute, they may be harmless to dogs, but there is cocoa powder in them. Its worth pointing out that there are No warnings are on the packets, there is on Aspirin. The law does not protect dogs and their food it seems, only you, the keeper can do that.
Summing up this affair ...
It seems that good boy are concerned to put the truth on their packets, because of its effect on sales, I am presuming this is the reason.
We are all used to a recall on cars, canned foods and others for human consumption and accept this as one of those things, because we are all human. Personally I would suggest that if all was done correctly, in the open, sales of branded choc drops would increase.
Edging or sailing near the wind with words does nothing to encourage faith in a product.
The remaining question remains, who makes, supplies, none branded dog chocolate drops and other shapes? and what can we depend on regards safety for these often sold loose chocs? Does the retail seller have a responsibility in law?
Any professional information that can be added to this article would always be appreciated, or references to professional documentation.
This website is concerned for all animals, including what can be a long distance drivers best friend, his dog. I no longer drive HGV and have not for many years. I do drive 600+ miles in a day in the UK sometimes, my best friend is always with me, I am charged in love and honour with her care, I am very privileged to be her keeper and friend. Her life is more important than my own.
I understand you will have arrived at this website to gain information on dogs and chocolate, I am always happy to receive constructive mails which may add to the information. On a more light hearted subject, you may like to see some interesting photographs out and about in the UK, some have special effects, British Countryside, also Truck or Lorry Photographs
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