just an article i found:
DOGS AND CHOCOLATE Danger
Give chocolate to loved ones, and you could end up poisoning them. That is, if the loved one is your pet dog.
Even small amounts of Theo bromine, an ingredient in chocolate, can cause vomiting and restlessness in pets. Larger doses can be fatal. While most pet owners expect a dog to develop an upset stomach after eating a large amount of chocolate, few realize its danger or toxic potential.
The lethal dose of Theo bromine depends on the size of the dog and the type of chocolate. Ounce for ounce, baking chocolate has six to nine times as much of the substance as milk chocolate does.
Estimates of the smallest amounts that can be fatal are:
4 ounces of milk chocolate or 1/2 ounce of baking chocolate for small dogs, such as Chihuahuas and toy poodles.
8 ounces of milk chocolate or 2 ounces of baking chocolate for medium-sized dogs, like cocker spaniels and dachshunds.
8 ounces of milk chocolate or 4 ounces of baking chocolate for large dogs, including collies and Labrador retrievers.
Cats have much different eating habits and seldom are poisoned by chocolate.
While a very small amount of chocolate may not harm some dogs, it's safest to avoid giving it to them at all. If an accident occurs, a veterinarian should be consulted. Treatment may require inducing vomiting, stabilizing the animal's heartbeat and respiration, controlling seizures and slowing the absorption of Theo bromine. If the animal already is comatose, its stomach may need to be pumped.
Theo bromine does not completely leave the dogs system, as do some foods, my research informs me that Theo Bromine has a half life of 7 hours. This means that half of it has gone in 7 hours; in 14 hours another half of the half that was remaining will have gone. We can go on and on forever and ever getting less and less, to be silly about it, it never gets to zero!
There always has to be something left for there to be a half of something. Its like a radio wave/signal travelling into space, it will reduce by half over a given distance, it repeats this time and again, but it never gets to zero. Trying to find it after a time will be difficult then imposssible of course, as with Theo bromine.
So we have a time factor to consider also apart from a safe amount.
The Theo bromine in other sweets and biscuits, cakes, coated in chocolate or with chocolate chips etc. will be less of course, but its wise to avoid all these things.
Health food shops stock, none chocolate choc drops for humans; I am told these are fine, but, its good practise to ask for the ingredient list to check for Theo bromine and then ask your VET. And remember ingredients can change without notice.
As in all case of animal safety, I cant say this enough, ask your vet, this page is no exception, don’t take my word as being accurate. All dogs can be different, as are humans; it may be there is a dog out there that could be killed by the smallest dose of chocolate. This page does not suggest that any dose is safe, on all matters covered here; please ask your vet who is your correct authority.
GOOD BOY CHOC DROPS
(Branded choc drops for dogs sold in pet shops)
Now to good boy choc drops.
I wrote to Good Boy because of they do not state on their packets of choc drops what the full ingredients are.
I suggested that they made it quite plain because I have heard it suggested that good boy choc drops are possibly normal choc rejects.
The packet labels did nothing to dispel this rumour.
After two mails good boy wrote back and made the following declaration.........
Dear John,
Thank you for your concern regarding the Choc Drops.
We have forwarded this information up to our marketing manager for their Consideration. There are no ingredients in the Good Boy Choc Drops that are toxic to dogs. The ingredients are: Sugar, Soy Flour, Cocoa Powder, DiCalcium PHosphate, Glucose Syrup, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Panthothentic Acid.
If you have any further questions or concerns please contact our Internet Customer Service Department at 1-800-381-7179, or via email, at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Nick
Internet Customer Service
I have investigated further as cocoa powder is listed above and cocoa does contain theo bromine which if enough is consumed is toxic.
I wrote a letter to a vet, the mail I sent and the reply is below.......
Dear Sir, I am sorry to intrude on your time, if however you have a moment and are inclined to help me,,, could you tell me if the chocolate sold in pet shops, like good boy choc drops, still has Theo bromine in it.
I received the following reply........
I'm afraid it does. Chocolate can still be toxic to dogs because of the Theo bromine included in it. Although most commercial chocolate has such low levels, large amounts of chocolate need to be ingested before clinical signs or illness are seen.
The safest way to avoid toxicity is to avoid giving Chocolate to your dog. I hope this helps.
Vets Name withheld.