Taste for chocolate nearly a dog's undoing

A sneaky canine who scoffed three boxes of chocolates and the wrappings from underneath a Christmas tree put his life in danger.

Chocolate is poisonous to dogs and the greedy pooch had to be rushed to the vet.

New Plymouth Veterinary Group's Robert Mills says the dog was okay, thanks to the quick thinking of his owners.(...)

Chocolate contains a compound called theobromine, which is similar to caffeine but highly poisonous to dogs. The toxicity level depends on the amount of chocolate a dog eats and the type of chocolate it is.

Signs of chocolate poisoning in dogs include irritability, increased heart rate, increased urination, vomiting and muscular tremors and, in extreme cases, death.(...)

He says dogs go crazy over chocolate. Funny, but my dog sniffs at it, and walks away. Some idiot was wanting to give my dog chocolate (I was looking out of the Fish And Chips place) and I was proud that my dog just looked at the guy like he was nuts. Holmes had the last laugh as the guy wasted his chocolate... on the pavement for some schuck to walk on. (chuckle)

"They'll break into anything to get it and they don't know when to stop."

He says the darker the chocolate, the more poisonous is it to dogs.

Dr Bell recommends using a piece of cheese as a treat instead of chocolate. Doh, as if people actually willingly give their dogs chocolate! And besides dogs can't digest milk products. You give your dog milk or cheese and they'll fart all night long! That's the last thing you'd give as a treat. Why not a piece of dried liver?