Chocolate, Raisins and Other Foods Toxic to Dogs

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Everybody knows that chocolate is bad for dogs, but do you know how much is too much? That 7 raisins could kill your dog? Or that onions are bad for dogs? Or that garlic is also toxic for dogs?

The National Geographic website has a lovely interactive chart on how much white, milk, dark, baking, and powdered chocolate is toxic - and what reaction your dog might have with each amount - vomiting, rapid heartbeats, tremors/seizures, or death. You can select your dog’s weight and it will tell you the amount of chocolate that causes each response in a dog. View it on the National Geographic website.

Another helpful page on that site discusses a few toxic foods: onions, garlic, yeast (as in raw bread dough), alcohol, grapes/raisins, macadamia nuts, and coffee. Or read a story about raisin poisoning in a dog. Raisins and grapes can cause renal failure in dogs. NEVER use raisins or grapes as a treat, because as few as 7 raisins can be toxic for dogs.

Need more ways to worry about your dog? Don’t miss the article in the Ahimsa blog on Household toxins and poisonous plants.

Written by Grisha Stewart, Ahimsa Dog Training, Seattle

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 12:34 pm and is filed under Safety Warnings . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

2 Responses to “Chocolate, Raisins and Other Foods Toxic to Dogs”

Molly Says:
April 13th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Hi. I would like to say thank you to Ahimsa for doing so much to help us dog people. This article caught my attention because when I was in school I would eat boxed raisins all the time. My dog would always want some so I’d give him a few out of every box - which would amount to a LOT more than 7 raisin every week. I’m not trying to say that all dogs are this way but that this seems like sensationalism. Has anyone actually seen or had a friend tell you about a dog reacting to raisins?
Grisha Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Hi Molly,

Thanks for your comment. I don’t know anyone who has had raisin poisoning, but I have a training client with a friend who’s dog did… the old ‘friend of a friend’ thing, so who knows, really! But this data about 7 raisins is from the National Geographic, which probably knows their numbers better than I do on this. Though they do show the Dog Whisperer on their TV programming, which calls their journalism into question for me.

I heard the same sort of story about chocolate from a trainer who would give chocolate chip cookies to her dogs for reinforcement, yet I did have a hamster that died of chocolate overdose, chocolate toxicity, at least, is true! It may be that some dogs are more susceptible to poisoning with raisins or chocolate than others, like an allergy.

Only good things,
Grisha

Comments? Thoughts? (Please use our contact form instead to email a dog trainer.)

Molly Says:
April 13th, 2008 at 4:47 pm

Hi. I would like to say thank you to Ahimsa for doing so much to help us dog people. This article caught my attention because when I was in school I would eat boxed raisins all the time. My dog would always want some so I’d give him a few out of every box - which would amount to a LOT more than 7 raisin every week. I’m not trying to say that all dogs are this way but that this seems like sensationalism. Has anyone actually seen or had a friend tell you about a dog reacting to raisins?

Grisha Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 2:42 pm

Hi Molly,

Thanks for your comment. I don’t know anyone who has had raisin poisoning, but I have a training client with a friend who’s dog did… the old ‘friend of a friend’ thing, so who knows, really! But this data about 7 raisins is from the National Geographic, which probably knows their numbers better than I do on this. Though they do show the Dog Whisperer on their TV programming, which calls their journalism into question for me.

I heard the same sort of story about chocolate from a trainer who would give chocolate chip cookies to her dogs for reinforcement, yet I did have a hamster that died of chocolate overdose, chocolate toxicity, at least, is true! It may be that some dogs are more susceptible to poisoning with raisins or chocolate than others, like an allergy.

Only good things,
Grisha