Not earth shattering; just wanted to say that Oscars like cheddar cheese

[Thomas Davie]

I know; Oscars will eat anything. Well, I couldn't feed my dogs any more, so I gave a couple of small pieces to my Oscrsa, and of course they loved it.

Tom

[wetmanNY]

Why not try some chocolate for your dogs!

[Thomas Davie]

I worked in a pharmacology lab for 7 years, and it is completely false that chcolate hurts dogs (specifically methyl-xanthine has been found to be non harmful to dogs).

Don't take my word for it though; do a search of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Just wanted to see what my oscars would take.

Tom

[wetmanNY]

An interesting and disarming reply (to a sarky post). Sorry 'bout that wiseacre post! I just couldn't understand the motivation...

[Thomas Davie]

Actually, I had already eaten, and had fed the dogs their 'treats', amd was left with one piece. I wondered if the Oscars would take it. I have got no intention of feeding it to them again.

Once a month, they do get a small piece of hot dog. That is my sole regular contribution of human food :)

Tom

[ChilDawg]

That's good...the amount of saturated fat would probably hurt your Oscars over time if fed as a regular part of their diet. As a treat, though, it's okay!

[BettaFish]

Well, you can claim you work wherever you want, but any vet will tell you that chocolate IS extremely toxic to dogs because of the theobromine. Working in a pharmacology lab is peanuts compared to actually getting a degree in veterinary science. Your misleading comments could lead to someone killing their dog, because they read what you posted on a message board.

Fortunately for your pooch, it takes a bit of theobromine to reach lethal quantities. Around 100-150mg/kg to be specific.

Different kinds of chocolate contain different amounts of theobromine.

Milk chocolate contains 44mg/oz
Semisweet contains 150mg/oz
Baker's chocolate contains 390mg/oz

What does that mean in real-world terms?

That means it takes 1oz of Milk chocolate per pound of dog bodyweight to cause a toxic reaction.

1oz per 3 pounds for semisweet, and 1oz per 9 pounds for Baker's chocolate.

1oz of Milk chocolate would probably cause tummy troubles for a 15lb dog, but 2oz of Baker's chocolate could be life-threatening.

Wetman, I'm disappointed in you. You're usually not so insensitive as to suggest that someone deliberately poison their dog, just to make a point.

[Thomas Davie]

Okay, I won't bother to refute what you'vee said, and I certainly won't advocate feeeding chocolate to dogs. And no, working in a pharmacology lab is no subsitute for having a DVM or advanced degreee in other animal sciences.

However, the studies that our lab engaged in were in the induction of asthmatic dogs, and their responses to various new drugs. I feel I know a little bit about the subject area. I don't have a problem with feeding a small amount of chocolate (milk chocolate) to any of my own dogs every now and then. My advisor did not have a problem with this either.

Your mileage may (and obviously does) vary. This is okay.

Tom

(ps thanks for the informative reply).

[cdawson]

Originally posted by wetmanNY
Why not try some chocolate for your dogs!

note to wetman : I think I just pee'd myself laughing.

[BettaFish]

Originally posted by Thomas Davie
I don't have a problem with feeding a small amount of chocolate (milk chocolate) to any of my own dogs every now and then. My advisor did not have a problem with this either.

And depending on the size of your dog, and levels of theobromine in the chocolate you're feeding your dog, you may not have a problem with it. A few M&Ms given to a Rottweiler isn't even enough to register in his system. An ounce of Baker's chocolate given to a Chihuahua is probably fatal.

But to state that " it is completely false that chcolate hurts dogs" is not only wrong, but it is dangerous.

This just underlines WHY it's so important that you be scrupulously sure that the information you've given out on a message board is factual and not misleading.

[Stias']

I was dog sitting one time and that little son of a gun got in the valentines chocolate, I thought I was going to have a dead rat terrier on my hands. He pulled through just fine. He crapped on the floor but he does that anyway, hence the reason I had to dog sit. The owners said he "acts out" when they leave, don’t worry about it. Now that BettaFish gave the OK, I wont worry about sharing m&ms with the little guy, he will be friends with anybody that shares food with him.

Stias'

<Edited per request.>

[Cearbhaill]

Originally posted by Stias' so if I set enough out on Wednesday, maybe that poop factory will be stinking on her by Friday evening when she gets home. So how many ounces does it take to really anchor a 40-pound dog?
I'm real sorry I stumbled onto this one- and I'll be much sorrier if anyone replies and/or the thread is left like this.