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Chocolate bad for cats and dogs?


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Chemicals in the chocolate inhibit their red blood cells from carrying oxygen - so a small quantity will make them tired and listless, and a big dose will kill them.

 

Shellfish, prawns, crab, and onions are toxic for different reasons.

 

(I did some research into this when my neighbour's dog was barking all day. Fortunately social services came to the rescue.)

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It just so happens I have the knowledge on this.

 

Chocolate contains throbrimine, which belongs to the class of alkaloids called methylated xanthines. Xanthines are stimulants of the central nervous system and theobromine poisoning can cause tachycardia, seizures, kidney damage and dehydration. Methylated xanthines are toxic to all birds and mammals, including humans. What saves us is our greater size and lower metabolic rate. The lethal dose for humans is about 10kg of chocolate, whereas a 25kg dog would be very ill on a 500g bar and would be killed by a 2kg dose. Cats and birds have higher metabolic rates, which makes them more vulnerable but they don't like the tast of chocolate, so poisoning is rare. Just a single M&M can be enough to kill a very small songbird though.

 

Phew.

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If I didn't know you for the intellectual that you are, gg, I might have thought you copy/pasted that from somewhere lol.gif

 

Interesting, didn't know that. So chocolate is bad for you.

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My dog scoffed about 30+ bite sized chocolates (size of 6x 500 yen coins stacked) on one of his wild arse rampages while his parents were out of the house.

 

Apart from major hypo for 24 hours + and runny shits he was fine.

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Yeah, there must be millions of dogs that have eaten all those 'dangerous' foods and lived.

 

I concluded that a ball-bearing fired with a slingshot would have a better chance of quieting the dog next door rather than chocolate and onion bargees chucked over the fence.

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