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What I learned when my dog ate a jumbo chocolate bar
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What I learned when my dog ate a jumbo chocolate bar

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Haley Young
Jan 10, 2022
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What I learned when my dog ate a jumbo chocolate bar
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Scout the Australian cattle dog lounging in an armchair the day after she ate four ounces of dark chocolate

In the chaos of visiting my family for Christmas this past year, Scout found a jumbo Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate bar. She almost ate the entire thing before we realized.

Cue major panic on my end—it was the first time she got into something she wasn’t supposed to have. I was equal parts scared for her health and embarrassed about my mistake as an owner. (Turns out sh*t happens sometimes, and all we can do is be prepared.)

Ever since I was a kid I’ve known chocolate is poisonous to dogs, but I never really asked why. When faced with the reality that my cattle dog had just consumed nearly 600 calories worth of the stuff, though, it was time for a better education.

Here’s what I learned from Scout’s foray into candyland!

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Why is chocolate bad for dogs?

Chocolate contains stimulants our dogs struggle to process

Chocolate is toxic to canines because it has two methylxanthines—caffeine and theobromine—their bodies can’t metabolize as easily as ours. These compounds stimulate the central nervo…

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