"Howard Neil" hneil@REMOVE TO REPLY.co.uk wrote in message
...

"David Hill" wrote in message
...

Made from spent cocoa beans used in the production of chocolate, cocoa
bean
mulch contains caffeine and theobromine, both of which are toxic to
dogs.
Depending on the amount ingested, symptoms range from vomiting and
diarrhea
(as exhibited by a 50-pound dog who had eaten about two ounces
of the mulch) to tremors, seizures and death.

According to my vets, this also apparently applies to normal chocolate.

I understand that the chocolate sold specifically for dogs in pet shops
has
had the nasties removed and is safe.

--
Howard Neil



We used to have a female Weimaraner who had an appetite for chocolate. When
I came home one evening to find she'd torn open a Christmas package in which
someone had put a box of chocolates, I phoned the veterinarian. The vet
told me to take the dog outside and force salt down the dog's throat, about
a teaspoon of it at a time. One or two iterations would induce vomiting in
the animal. The method worked.

One thing to note is that you need to get to the animal while the chocolate
or related substance is still in the stomach. Once the stuff has started to
move on, it's too late; however, I'm not familiar with whatever they do
beyond that point.

-
Al