Question: When Is Chocolate Not Toxic For Dogs?

Answer: When It’s From RescueChocolate.com

It’s the holiday season again, and as usual, most pet-related sites have been reminding us of all of those goodies that we love, but that can be a potential risk to our pets. Top among these is chocolate, but here’s a twist: the people at RescueChocolate.com while certainly not suggesting that you serve their chocolates to dogs, are donating 100% of their net profits to animal rescue organizations around the country.

I'm very happy that you will be supporting rescue dogs by buying some chocolates from RescueChocolate.com, but I'll be even happier if you don't give any to me.

Located in Brooklyn, NY, they manufacture  assorted flavors of 100% vegan chocolates including Peanut Butter Pit Bull and Foster-iffic Peppermint, all reasonably priced and all ready to make any of your animal-loving friends very happy this holiday season. (Chocolate is always a hit gift with me, but any product that also supports animal welfare is right in line with the philosophy behind my ScooPup Pockets.)

So remember, chocolate contains theobromine, a naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean, which is highly toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. While it does take a large amount of the stuff to cause a toxic reaction, you must always consider the animal’s size, the concentration of the chocolate and the individual animal’s sensitivity. For instance, 2 oz of bakers chocolate can be very toxic to a 15 lb dog, but the same amount of milk chocolate would most likely only cause digestive problems. If you suspect that you dog may have ingested chocolate, or any other toxic substance, call your vet or the ASPCA’s National Animal Poison Control at 888.426-4435.

For more great information about dogs and chocolate visit dogownersdigest.com. For a comprehensive list of 25 human foods that are toxic to dogs, visit the animalpetsandfriends website.

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Keeping Your Dog Safe From Poisonous Foods and Toxic Substances

We all know what goes in must come out and I’m sure we’ve all seen an assortment of odd things at both ends of our dogs from time to time, especially if we’re being socially and environmentally conscious and picking up their poop. But, how much do you really know about what should never be given to your dog?

I have seen people who claim to know all about dogs give their four-legged kids everything from chocolate to raisins claiming that ‘just a little won’t hurt’.  I say, why give your dog a taste for something that could hurt him?

So, here’s a little refresher on what needs to be kept away from your dog.

Alcohol, avocados, chocolate, coffee, fatty foods, macadamia nuts, moldy foods, raison and grapes, onions and garlic, yeast dough and anything containing the sugar substitute xylitol.

Chocolate and coffee contain substances called methylxanthines, which are found in cacao seeds. Depending on the size of your dog and the amounts ingested, eating chocolate can cause severe stomach upsets and can even be fatal to some dogs. By the way, the cacao husk is commonly used in some brands of garden mulch. This stuff has also been shown to be toxic to dogs, although according to webcanine.com, isn’t always noted on the label.  Buyer beware!

All of the foods listed above can cause any number of symptoms, some as mundane as diarrhea and poop that’s not so nice to pick up, to very serious illness and even death. The ASPCA has a comprehensive list of all the above, as well as their symptoms.

If you have the kind of dog who likes to chew on all sorts of things, do you know if the plants in your house and yard are safe? There are quite a few plants that are toxic and even fatal to both dogs and cats.  The ASPCA also has great information regarding plants that you need to watch out for.  Apple has just come out with a new iphone Pet Safe app that lists toxic plants, as well as the symptoms related to each one.

One other item of note since summer is almost here: corn cobs can cause serious intestinal blockages and worse.

And finally, don’t forget to keep your medications and cleaning supplies out of reach of your dog, especially if you have a new pup in the house.  A good rule to live by is if you wouldn’t want a child to get into something, then you probably wouldn’t want your dog to either. (Do I need to remind you about anti-freeze?)

Accidents do happen and depending on the size of your dog and the amounts ingested, what they eat can have any number of consequences. And just in case you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to have the telephone numbers of your vet, your emergency vet and the National Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) somewhere prominently displayed in your home. Ours is on our fridge.

So, let’s make sure that the only thing that goes into our dogs is healthy food and that the only thing that comes out is poop.  (And while we’re on the subject, be sure to pick it up with your ScooPup Pocket!)

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