That' right: many dogs love chocolate. No wonder she is used by dog owners again and again as a training treat. And not only of them: the animal feed industry is taking advantage of the enthusiasm of dogs for this candy - and uses waste from the chocolate industry in pet food. This leads to dependence, but apparently not to death. Is chocolate maybe not that harmful? But! The reason for this is the ingredient Theobromine (Latin for example "food of the gods"), which is closely related to caffeine. Theobromine acts on the central nervous system and has a similar stimulating effect as caffeine. In humans it acts as a mood brightener, anxiolytic and - according to the latest findings - even against coughing. It also dilates the blood vessels. Nevertheless, for the first time, this does not pose a problem for humans. Why this is so, doctors and scientists are not yet agreed. It is undeniable, however: for animals, chocolate is poisonous.

Even 20 grams of block chocolate per kilogram of body weight can be fatal. A table of milk chocolate could kill a five-pound pomeranian. It is even more dangerous with dark chocolate with a high cocoa content: A board of this variety can cost the lives of a medium-sized, 20-kilogram Bearded Collie.

 

Why is that?

Theobromine belongs to the methylxanthines. These molecules inhibit the fur nose an enzyme that regulates the degradation of a key messenger in the body. Simply put, dogs can not digest chocolate.

Therefore, caution should be exercised when small amounts of this stimulant are fed daily, as dogs excrete theobromine very slowly. If it is fed repeatedly, it comes to a creeping poisoning.

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