One of the more popular myths about dogs is that they should not be fed chocolates. Not so. You could but it is more about the kind and amount of each kind of chocolate that dog owners should worry about. For some reason, dogs are sensitive to caffeine and theobromine, two kinds of stimulants that seem to have a negative effect on the dog's heart. But as long as you keep it to a minimum amount, your dog is safe from any of chocolate's toxic effects.

For white chocolate, mild toxicity can already be seen at 45 ounces of chocolate per pound of body weight of the pet. For milk chocolate, the level is at 0.7ounce. Semi -sweet chocolates make their effect evident at 1/3 ounce per pound of body weight while in baking chocolate toxicity is at 0.3 ounce per pound of body weight. Take note that the amounts mentioned are toxic levels already and your pet might show symptoms of poisoning even if they have not reached the threshold.

The signs that your pet might have ingested too much chocolate include restlessness, hyperactivity, increased urination, muscle twitching and panting. Remember, the stimulants in chocolate work on the dog's heart so these symptoms are probably episodes of seizures – so get help immediately.  Before you panic over the amount of chocolate you feed your dog, the following will put things in perspective. It will take 55 pounds of white chocolate before a 20-pound dog experiences any toxic effects. For milk chocolate, the same dog will have to ingest about a pound while about 6 ounces of semi-sweet and 1 ounce of baking chocolate will be toxic to the dog.

So if you're a chocoholic, keep your indulgences to yourself. And if your furry friend (for some reason, mainly of your own doing) happens to ingest a large amount of chocolate, don't panic. He can still recover if treated within 3 to 6 hours of ingestion. But since the stimulants persist from 12 to 36 hours, it might be better to keep your beloved dog in the hospital for monitoring. Might as well take a cue from your dog, cut down on the chocolates!

<em>Reference: http://www.petplace.com<em/>