American Chocolate Week on March, 2025: Chocolate.Is it really that dangerous for dogs?

American Chocolate Week 2025. Stuff your gut with chocolate and act happy…by grannies! American Chocolate Week,

Why is chocolate poisonous?

The cocoa tree contains two naturally occurring substances - theobromine and caffeine - both of which are toxic to dogs. Cocoa beans conatin theobromine a higher concentration than caffeine.

Dogs metabolise theobromine very slowly - it can stay in your dog's bloodstream for up to 20 hours. During that time it interferes with the body's functioning mainly stimulating the central nervous system and affecting the heart and kidneys.

What is the toxic level of theobromine?

The lethal dose for theobromine is between 100mg to 200mg per kg of bodyweight ; the lethal dose for caffeine is the same.

However, severe symptoms of theobromine poisoning may be evident at much lower doses .

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Animal Poison Control Center, mild signs of poisoning occur in animals ingesting 20 mg of theobromine and caffeine per kg of bodyweight, severe signs are seen at 40-50 mg/kg, and seizures occur at 60 mg/kg.

How your dog reacts to swallowing chocolate will be a function of his size, general health, sensitivity to theobromine and caffeine, and the type and quantity of chocolate eaten.

So how much chocolate can my dog eat?

White chocolate does not contain very much theobromine and caffeine, and your dog would need to eat a very large quantity before he would be at risk from theobromine poisoning.

If we look at a 10lb (4.5kg) dog such as a Yorkshire Terrier and a 70lb (32kg) dog like a Labrador Retriever, the following amounts of chocolate would be considered lethal doses (if we take 100mg/kg as the lethal dose):

For the Yorkshire Terrier - approximately 7oz of milk chocolate or 3oz of instant cocoa powder, or 1oz of unsweetened baking chocolate or just over half an ounce of dry cocoa powder.

For the Labrador Retriever - approximately 3lbs of milk chocolate or 1.3lbs of instant cocoa powder or 7oz unsweetened baking chocolate or 4oz of cocoa powder.

These are approximate amounts only, but do show how lethal dark chocolate is compared to milk chocolate, and how small dogs are more at risk than large dogs.

Dogs get a taste for chocolate - they find the flavor of theobromine addictive. Even if your dog can eat small amounts of chocolate without any ill effect, don't give him a taste for it because he'll then try to sniff out and eat chocolate at every opportunity.

If you really want your dog to eat something that's like chocolate, you can always use carob which is a good alternative; here a link to a recipe for carob biscotti which your dog with love just as much as chocolate biscotti!

What are the signs of poisoning?

The symptoms of theobromine poisoning generally show within four to twenty four hours of your dog having eaten the chocolate.

The early symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, increased urination and restlessness .

As time goes on, and your dog absorbs more theobromine into his system, symptoms such as lack of co-ordination, muscle twitching, hyperactivity, increased heart rate and raised blood pressure will be evident .

These can lead on to seizures, coma, heart arrhythmia, hyperthermia, and ultimately death .

Even if your dog eats a small amount of chocolate, he may show signs of vomiting and diarrhea due to the high fat and sugar content of the chocolate.

What do I do if my dog's eaten chocolate?

The first thing you should do is to call your vet and describe the symptoms your dog is showing (if any) and the type and quantity of chocolate your dog has, or you think he has, eaten.

Your vet will need to treat your dog, but may advise you to make your dog vomit before bringing him to the surgery. This will reduce the amount of theobromine that's in your dog's body that he can absorb.

Most dogs recover within 24 to 72 hours of treatment by their vet .

ONIONS

A small amount may not cause a problem since onion toxicity is dose dependent. However, onions in any form (raw, cooked, dehydrated or powdered in a seasoning) can create a life-threatening form of hemolytic anemia in dogs.

What Happens in Onion Toxicity?

Red blood cells carry a protein, hemoglobin, which delivers oxygen to the tissues and organs. Onions contain a substance called thiosulphate which dogs (and cats) lack the enzyme to properly digest. Thiosulphate causes oxidation of hemoglobin in canine red blood cells, which then forms clumps, weakening the cell membranes. These clumps, called Heinz bodies, protrude from the cell and eventually cause rupture, shortening the life span of the cell. When enough red cells are destroyed, anemia occurs and the body is starved for oxygen. Garlic also contains thiosulphate but in smaller amounts.

A significant decrease in red blood cells can cause many problems including heart failure. The number of cells destroyed usually depends on the amount of onion eaten. However, some dogs can develop severe reactions even after eating very

Ultimate American Chocolate Brownie Recipe! :-)?

Chocolate Amaretto Brownies:

12 servings

1 cup shortening

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons Amaretto

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 recipe amaretto frosting

1 1/2 tablespoons almonds, sliced

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 tablespoons half-and-half

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate squares

1 dash salt

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons Amaretto

1. Note: 2/3 cup powdered baking cocoa can be substituted for the chocolate uares.

2. Combine shortening and chocolate in heavy saucepan; place er low heat, stirring constantly, until combined.

3. Remove from heat and ol.

4. Stir in eggs and amaretto.

5. Combine flour and salt; add to creamed xture, stirring well.

6. Pour batter into a lightly greased 13 x 9 x 2" king pan.

7. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes; cool.

8. Frost with Amaretto osting, sprinkle with sliced almonds (or arrange in flowery patterns, to fancy).

9. Cut into squares.

10. Note: 3 Tbs powdered baking cocoa can be substituted for chocolate uares.

11. Combine butter & chocolate in a heavy saucepan; place over low at and stir constantly until melted.

12. Stir in half and half.

13. Add wdered sugar, salt Amaretto, stirring until smooth.

14. Yield: Enough frosting for 2 dozen brownies.

British chocolate vs American Chocolate...........calling ALL chocoholics?

plain hersheys chocolate isnt as good as say cadburys dairy milk.

im pretty sure i saw some show on food network about this but i dont remember much but i think its because milk chocolate started out in europe and in america they didnt have the same recipe and the hershey guy tried getting it but couldnt so he made his own..

Excited by the potential of milk chocolate, which at that time was a Swiss luxury product, Milton Hershey determined to develop a formula for milk chocolate and market and sell it to the American public. Through trial and error he created his own formula for milk chocolate. In 1903 he began construction on what was to become the world's largest chocolate manufacturing plant. The facility, completed in 1905, was designed to manufacture chocolate using the latest mass production techniques. Hershey's milk chocolate quickly became the first nationally marketed product of its kind.

Milk chocolate is chocolate with milk powder or condensed milk added. The U.S. Government requires a 10% concentration of chocolate liquor. EU regulations specify a minimum of 25% cocoa solids.[2] In the 1870s, Swiss confectioner Daniel Peter invented the process of solidifying milk chocolate using condensed milk, which was invented by Henri Nestlé in the 1800s.[3]

Hershey process milk chocolate, invented by Milton S. Hershey, founder of The Hershey Company, is able to be produced more economically, by being less sensitive to freshness of the milk. Although the process is still a trade secret, experts speculate that the milk is partially lipolyzed, producing butyric acid, which stabilizes the milk from further fermentation. This compound gives the product a particular sour, "tangy" taste, to which the American public has become accustomed, to the point that other manufacturers now simply add butyric acid to their milk chocolates.[3]

yeah so thats why hersheys has that weird taste to it. european milk chocolate tastes wayyyy better. but i still love candy bars from hersheys like reeses and stuff.