I've always heard that is, but have no idea why. Can someone please inform me?
I've always heard that is, but have no idea why. Can someone please inform me?
Just a fun fact, but the lethal dose of chocolate to humans is 22lbs. Now, this surprises me, because I think hitting someone in the head with 15lbs of chocolate is enough to kill them.
I learned this watching > QI <
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I know it is bad for dogs. I have seen a dog die from eating oreos. I found this article that explains why.
Thanks. But what about cats?
Thanks. But what about cats?I know it is bad for dogs. I have seen a dog die from eating oreos. I found this article that explains why.
OMG -- Did you kill your cat?
Thanks. But what about cats?I know it is bad for dogs. I have seen a dog die from eating oreos. I found this article that explains why.
OMG -- Did you kill your cat?
N - O. But I am curious about the lethality of chocolate concerning cats.
Cats are obligate carnivores and their digestive system is specialized for their diet. As a result, there are a number of human foods that are toxic to cats, not just chocolate.
I have heard that in many cases it's partly what they are brought up eating too (for all animals). Supposedly if you raise a dog eating chocolate then it won't be poisonous to them later (I don't recommend trying this since it is from friend's knowledge instead of expert's knowledge).
I have heard that in many cases it's partly what they are brought up eating too (for all animals). Supposedly if you raise a dog eating chocolate then it won't be poisonous to them later (I don't recommend trying this since it is from friend's knowledge instead of expert's knowledge).
Dog's have an advantage of a more tolerant liver and generally bigger bodies, but I'm pretty sure they can't build up a tolerance. A little accidental chocolate shouldn't hurt, but be very careful. (also)
Cats are obligate carnivores and their digestive system is specialized for their diet. As a result, there are a number of human foods that are toxic to cats, not just chocolate.
Yeah, I've had first-hand experience with the tomato plant vs cat situation.
The alkaloid solanine is found in the plant and green fruit. However, one of our cats has a propensity for eating our houseplants, and a tomato seedling that was given as a gift last year almost cost the furball his life. He was lethargic for a day, didn't eat, acted sick . . . but survived without a trip to the vet. We figured he'd eaten the plant about 8 hours before, so the alkaloid was already in his system and there wouldn't be anything we could do but let it run its course.
Felines are particularly susceptible to solanine poisoning.
However, the ripe fruit is fine. I think some cat foods have tomatoes as an ingredient.
The theobromine is bad for cats as well as dogs. It's also bad for parrots - there are warnings about the danger of feeding chocolate to keas, a type of New Zealand native parrot that's happy to scavenge off humans.
The theobromine in chocolate can kill dogs. However, can is the operative word. Dogs, like goats, can eat things that might kill them and fare much better than humans. I know a dog that drank a bottle of bleach. Holes burned into the tongue and it slept for three days, and forever lost its vigor, but it lived another six years.
So if your dog bites a snickers, they'll likely make it. It they down a box of chocolates, mebbe not. Seems to be according to the particular dog's sensitivities. Don't give cats aloe and pepper is also a rule... there are really long lists of what foods and plants to keep out of your pet's reach.
I own a large pet sitting service and we've seen two dogs die from chococalte poisoning over the years, but more often we hear owners say, "My dog LOVES chocolate!"
I warn them anyway.
Edit: Ack... didn't see Vissigoth's article link.
Thanks for all the info. You've all been very informative.
Thanks for all the info. You've all been very informative.
Just a guess, but is this for the feline humanoids in your homebrew?
Thanks for all the info. You've all been very informative.Just a guess, but is this for the feline humanoids in your homebrew?
No, not in the least. In a fantasy world, spells exist that can negate poisonous effects.
I was truly curious about this as my cat is always bugging my mom and I when we eat or are getting food. I was eating some rocky road earlier and she [my cat] watched me eat every bite as if she was deprived.
Cats believe they are entitled to the best off everything..I blame Bastet..she put the idea of being worshipped by humans into those tiny brains.
Thanks for all the info. You've all been very informative.
+1
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Just want to toss in my experience. I have a husky who 2 christmases ago ate an entire bag of Hershey kisses, wrappers and all. No effect on her what so ever. The vet told me that the chemical in chocolate that dogs cant digest (cant remember the name, and many articles have been link naming it) can be lethal, but the weight of the dog has an effect on the amount of said chemical needed to cause harm. The smaller the dog, the less is needed to cause problems and more likely for the dog to suffer effects. My dog being as large as she is (65 pounds) meant she wasnt near the lethal dose. However, the half bottle of asprin she ate about 4 months later was a COMPLETELY different story... Thankfully she made it through that one alive, and with no ill effects. Vet said she was a fighter and got extremely lucky.
Cats are also very susceptible to something in lily flowers as well - as in, don't leave them out for your furballs to chew on thinking it has catnip or some mysterious feline-desired ingredient in it...
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Along these same lines: Never ever let a dog or cat even get close to antifreeze.
We had someone poison one of the neighborhood dogs that way. He was never caught. Apparently many dogs and cats love the smell of the stuff. They'll lick it off the driveway if they can.
This is how I lost my Childhood pet Cat, To this day I still miss that Cat :-(
Along these same lines: Never ever let a dog or cat even get close to antifreeze.
We had someone poison one of the neighborhood dogs that way. He was never caught. Apparently many dogs and cats love the smell of the stuff. They'll lick it off the driveway if they can.
It also tastes rather sweet, IIRC, making them less likely to realize it's not something they should eat.
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Chocolate 'Tato Cake
Ingredients:
CAKE
• Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 cup Hungry Jack® Mashed Potatoes, flakes
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 3/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
OR 1/2 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
•
GLAZE
• 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation Directions:
1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan with no-stick cooking spray.
2. BREAK 4 oz. chocolate into pieces. Place in large bowl. Add potato flakes. Pour boiling water over flakes and chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes or until potato flakes are softened and chocolate is melted. Stir to combine.
3. SPOON flour lightly into measuring cup. Level off. Add flour and all remaining cake ingredients, except pecans, to potato flake mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Stir in pecans, if desired. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. BAKE 45 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool upright in pan for 30 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.
5. MELT 4 oz. chocolate with 3 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon butter in small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in additional water, a few drops at a time if needed, for desired glaze consistency. Immediately spoon glaze over cooled cake, allowing some to run down sides.
TIP High Altitude: Decrease sugar to 1 cup. Bake as directed above.
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 1 hrs
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Cats are also very susceptible to something in lily flowers as well - as in, don't leave them out for your furballs to chew on thinking it has catnip or some mysterious feline-desired ingredient in it...
Speaking of flowers, poinsettias are another big no-no around cats.
And in the realm of foods, keep caffeinated foods and drinks away from cats and dogs as well, especially coffee grounds and teabags. A friend's dog ate a teabag out of the trash and had to have its stomach pumped.
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My mom would buy big bars of dark chocolate for a friend, and forgot and left one tucked away somewhere while she was out, and her three dogs (a sweet rotty and two annoying bichons) found and ate it.
She said one of the bichons was running around the house barking at everything, chasing it's own tail and generally acting crazy, the other one was lying on it's back with it's legs in the air and trembling and the rottweiler was slumped on the carpet making moaning noises, in her words, 'exploding from both ends.'
They all lived, but it sounded like quite the sight to come home to. :)
Cats are also very susceptible to something in lily flowers as well - as in, don't leave them out for your furballs to chew on thinking it has catnip or some mysterious feline-desired ingredient in it...
The pollen. If you have cats around remove the stamens.
I remember my cats got into some M&M's once. When we came home, we found brown vomit on the floor in several rooms of our apartment. Panicked, we called the vet. She said, "Don't worry about it. It's very rare that cats die of chocolate poisoning. Also, the fact that they're throwing up is a good sign. It means their systems are purging it from their bodies. Keep an eye on them, and if they aren't doing better by tomorrow, bring them in."
The next day, they were yowling for food like nothing had ever happened. Damn cats.
Director of Sales
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When I was a kid, our family dog (a small Pekingese/Poodle mix) ate my older sister's entire box of Valentines chocolate one year.
We found the box and wrappers spread out all over her bed, next to several large (for the dog) patches of dog vomit.
...and a passed out dog. Eventually, she came to and went on to live for over a decade after that. We all thought it was hilarious (except my sister, of course) until years later when we heard about chocolate's toxicity to dogs and realized how close we had come to losing a beloved pet.
It also tastes rather sweet, IIRC, making them less likely to realize it's not something they should eat.Along these same lines: Never ever let a dog or cat even get close to antifreeze.
We had someone poison one of the neighborhood dogs that way. He was never caught. Apparently many dogs and cats love the smell of the stuff. They'll lick it off the driveway if they can.
Well not exactly, cats actually have an aversion to sweet things. As part of their adaptation to an all meat diet that aspect of taste was reduced in functionality. But yeah antifreeze and cat = VERY bad combination. Body mass is a crucial determining factor in toxicity but some compounds are risky even at low doses.
Well not exactly, cats actually have an aversion to sweet things. As part of their adaptation to an all meat diet that aspect of taste was reduced in functionality. But yeah antifreeze and cat = VERY bad combination. Body mass is a crucial determining factor in toxicity but some compounds are risky even at low doses.It also tastes rather sweet, IIRC, making them less likely to realize it's not something they should eat.Along these same lines: Never ever let a dog or cat even get close to antifreeze.
We had someone poison one of the neighborhood dogs that way. He was never caught. Apparently many dogs and cats love the smell of the stuff. They'll lick it off the driveway if they can.
Antifreeze puddles are pretty poison the critters. When I spot one I grab some surrounding dirt and drop it over to absorb it. I guess I never outgrew making mud pies.
On the other hand, by brother's labrador used to love beer. Seriously, nobody could just drink a beer with him around. He'd sit there and stare at you with big puppy eyes until you gave him some.
Of course, he was also fond of eating clothes pins, paper, and (we think) maybe a light bulb or 3.
Ironically I think this is how Laughing Lab got its name.
Man I love this ale!
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No at all related to chocolate - this is a loosing a pet story. I went to a Catholic High School in New Orleans, and one of the Brothers would always tell this story from his youth....
When he was a young boy, his father was removing the stump of a cut down tree from their property - using dynamite. Anyway, they succeeded in blowing the stump out of the ground, but when it landed, it hit the family dog and squashed it.