| Anyone who has ever owned a dog will know | | | | the problem for your dog is that chocolate |
| that they are not particularly fussy eaters, | | | | contains various chemicals, which can be |
| to put it mildly! Anything and everything | | | | highly dangerous, if not lethal. |
| that can be consumed will pass through | | | | |
| pooch's digestive system at some point, and | | | | Sadly, consumption of relatively minor traces |
| by no means will all of it be food as we know | | | | of these chemicals can cause your dog such |
| it! | | | | serious medical problems as increased heart |
| | | | rate, palpitations and so on. Large amounts |
| Your dog also has a very well developed sense | | | | could even lead to total cardiac failure, |
| of smell, so that what he or she considers to | | | | seizures, coma and eventually death. |
| be "foodstuffs" (yesterdays chicken bones in | | | | |
| the kitchen trash can, for example), stuff | | | | Of course, we have to keep this in |
| that you may believe is hidden (i.e. out of | | | | perspective and it is extremely unlikely that |
| sight) is as evident to your dog as the nose | | | | one small piece of chocolate given as a |
| his face. Rest assured that your dog will | | | | "treat" every now and then will harm your dog |
| find anything that can be eaten, wherever it | | | | in any way. However, be aware that different |
| is! | | | | breeds of dogs show different levels of |
| | | | resistance to the chemicals in chocolate, and |
| Ninety-nine percent of the time, this will | | | | that the dogs size and weight would also be a |
| not be a major problem. An inconvenience | | | | factor to consider. Whilst a pound of the |
| maybe when tonight's dinner that was cooling | | | | wrong kind of chocolate might kill a smaller |
| in the kitchen miraculously disappears, but | | | | dog, it may merely cause a Bull Mastiff or a |
| not a major drama. | | | | Doberman to have a day or two of digestive |
| | | | discomfort, and no doubt one or two |
| The problem is that dogs (obviously) have | | | | unpleasant "accidents" along the way! |
| little or no knowledge of whether what they | | | | |
| eat is good or bad for them, nor do they | | | | The simple answer is the obvious one, so |
| care. Reverting to the previous example, | | | | don't give the family pet huge amounts of |
| every human probably knows that, whilst beef | | | | chocolate! At the same time, take precautions |
| or lamb bones are a delectable treat for | | | | to minimize the risks, by making sure that |
| Fido, chicken bones are a definite no-go, | | | | any chocolate in the house is stored above |
| owing to their tendency to splinter and stick | | | | the dogs "forage level" and that your family |
| in the dogs throat. | | | | members, especially young children, know not |
| | | | to give their chocolate away! |
| However, not every dog owner is aware that | | | | |
| some of the everyday foodstuffs that we | | | | There are a few other goods that we consider |
| consume and take for granted, and are happy | | | | to be food that, again, may not be too good |
| to give to our families, could be very | | | | for the family dog. Some strains of |
| dangerous, even potentially lethal, if given | | | | mushroom, for example, can cause your pet |
| to your dog. | | | | problems (liver and kidney damage, abdominal |
| | | | pain) and, whilst garlic is extremely good |
| For example, were you aware that the simple | | | | for humans, it can cause vomiting and |
| chocolate bar that is stashed at the back of | | | | diarrhea in dogs. |
| your fridge might actually constitute a | | | | |
| potentially deadly hazard for your four | | | | The bottom line is, do not assume that just |
| legged friend? This is potentially a major | | | | because you can eat it, so can your dog. |
| problem, as the majority of dogs seem | | | | |
| especially partial to chocolate, in my | | | | Whilst he will regularly devour a host of |
| experience. | | | | things that you would never go near, |
| | | | understand that there are a few things that |
| Whilst it has been recently reported that it | | | | your digestive system handles without |
| may be high in human-friendly antioxidants, | | | | problems that your dog just cannot cope with! |