We love chocolate and we often end up making the wrong assumption that our dogs do too. We have all tried feeding our dogs with chocolate at some point in time, only to see him reject it each time with vigor.
However, that should not be seen as a rebellious nature of your dog. Rather, it is a dog’s survival instinct that urges it not to eat chocolates.
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So, why can’t dogs eat chocolates? The conclusive answer to this is because it is not good for them. Let’s understand this in a little detail:
Chocolate contains cocoa and cocoa contains a compound called theobromine. It is of this particular constituent of chocolate that makes it hazardous for dogs and even other pets including cats. What makes it dangerous for dogs is the fact that dogs don’t have the mechanism to break theobromine into smaller digestible parts. As humans, we quickly metabolize the compound, but in dogs, it keeps on getting coagulated. Eventually, depending upon the dose, it can bear severe health implications on the health of dogs, sometimes resulting in seizures.
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Depending upon the dose of the intake and the size of the dog, the results vary. However, no single instance has ever been reported of a dog that is absolutely immune to chocolates. Small doses can upset a dog’s stomach and cause diarrhea. If the amount of intake is large, then that spells problems. Large amounts of theobromine can cause irregular heartbeats, seizures, and muscle tremors among many other things. Also, remember that dark chocolate is more dangerous than milk based chocolates.
Did your dog ever eat chocolate? How did you make him feel better? Tell us in the comments below.
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We all love our dogs and it's natural to feed them with things that we love to eat, and chocolates is one of them. As interesting that it sounds, it is actually very dangerous to feed your furry lad with chocolates because that might prove to be fatal for them. Feeding them with cocoa bars can cause them irregular heartbeats and muscle tremors.
Besides for chocolates, there are plenty other items shouldn't be fed to a dog like ice cream, candy, gum, grapes, raisins, bacon and salty foods. Also, I have observed many people serving raw meat to their pets, which they do not realize is harmful to them. Though a raw meat diet can have several health benefits, it also bears the risk of bacterial infection.