You should never intentionally feed your dog chocolate. But sometimes our 4 legged friends get into things they shouldn't - off our counters or out of our bags. Then what do you do?
If the unfortunate happens it's good to know how much is too much. There is a chocolate chart from National Geographic that can help you determine your dog's danger zone - requiring a trip to the vet or worse the ER. Using the cursor you can match your dog's weight in pounds (or kilograms), to the amount and type of chocolate to see the dangerous effects - everything from vomiting and diarrhea to death. For emergency reference purposes, be sure to bookmark this chart. And always be conscious of keeping chocolate out of your dog's reach.
Chocolate contains chemical substances from the same family as caffeine - the main problem chemical is theobromine. At Cause to Paws all of our bakery treats that look like they contain chocolate are actually made with carob - a safe alternative to chocolate. Carob is a legume that comes from the carob tree. In addition to not having the negative effects of chocolate, carob is very nutritious.
Just an FYI - Carob contains as much Vitamin B1 as asparagus or strawberries; as much niacin as lima beans, lentils, or peas; and more Vitamin A than eggplant, asparagus, and beets. It also contains Vitamin B2, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and the trace minerals iron, manganese, chromium, copper, and nickel. It contains approximately 8 percent protein and is a good source of fiber. Compared to chocolate, carob is three times richer in calcium, has one third less calories and seventeen times less fat. Carob also has therapeutic uses. It is known to halt serious cases of diarrhea in adults, infants, and animals.
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