posted 12-01-2003 12:50 PM         

so do some dogs get sick and not others. and is there a special type of chocolate that dogs can eat??

posted 12-01-2003 11:03 PM         

quote:

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Similar to coffee, cacao beans are dried and roasted before being hulled. "Chocolate liquor", made from the roasted, ground cocoa bean nibs (the meat of the cacao bean) is what makes chocolate chocolate. Thus, unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor and about 50% cocoa butter. Bittersweet chocolate blends at least 35% liquor with as much as 50% with cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla. Semisweet chocolate has the same ingredients as bittersweet with the addition of more sugar. Milk chocolate, which contains about 10% chocolate liquor, takes the process a step further by adding about 12% milk solids.

White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar and vanilla. When buying white chocolate, look for a brand that contains cocoa butter. There are cheaper versions (which by law cannot be called chocolate) that don't contain any cocoa butter, but their flavor is inferior to those that do.

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The rest of the article can be found here.
[url]http://www.fabulousfoods.com/school/csingred/chocolate.html[url]

I would guess that if you used the really cheap white chocolate that doesn't have any cocoa butter in it, it would be dog safe as it would not have theobromide in it.

posted 12-01-2003 11:37 PM         

Hershey does not add theobromine to its chocolate products. Rather, theobromine occurs naturally in cocoa beans and is present in all chocolate products. The amount of theobromine in the finished product depends on the type of chocolate used and the serving size. Milk chocolate contains less theobromine than semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Theobromine has a mild diuretic action (increases urine production) similar to caffeine, but does not stimulate the central nervous system like caffeine.

Currently there are no theobromine-free chocolate products available to consumers.

Effect on domestic animals:
In domestic animals, especially dogs, chocolate may harm the heart, kidneys and central nervous system. This is because dogs metabolize theobromine, a naturally occurring substance in chocolate, very slowly. The effect of theobromine on dogs and some other pets is serious. It carries the same risk as does a dog's consumption of other common household items such as coffee, tea, cola beverages and certain houseplants.

posted 12-09-2003 02:44 PM         

One Easter she ate an entire Easter Basket full of chocolate, including one of those large solid Milk chocolate bunnies, many liite eggs, and at least 6 of those cadbury eggs with filling, not to mention the jelly beans and jube jubes.