Is it ok to give a horse chocolate?

Chocolate is toxic to many pet animals. Whiel horses do love sweets, sugar cubes or other natural sweets should be used instead of choclate. As previosu posters mentiones, rolled oats, carrots, sliced Apple all work very well to satisfy a sweet tooth horse.

But choclate in a horse can prove problemmatic, even in small doses.

Chocolate, in addition to having a high fat content, contains caffeine and theobromine. These two compounds are nervous system stimulants and can be toxic to your dog in high amounts. The levels of caffeine and theobromine vary between different types of chocolate. For example, white chocolate has the lowest concentration of stimulants and baking chocolate or cacao beans have the highest concentration.

Depending on the type of chocolate ingested and the amount eaten, various problems can occur. The high fat content in chocolate may result in vomiting and possibly diarrhea. Once toxic levels are eaten, the stimulant effect becomes apparent. You may notice restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination and possibly excessive panting. Heart rate and blood pressure levels may also be increased. Seizure activity may occur in severe cases.

Toxic Amounts

# White Chocolate. Mild signs of toxicity can occur when 45 ounces per pound of body weight is ingested. Severe toxicity occurs when 90 ounces per pound of body weight in ingested. This means that a 20-pound dog would need to ingest at least 55 pounds of white chocolate to cause nervous system signs, which is next to impossible. Be aware that a much smaller amount of white chocolate may result in gastrointestinal problems.

# Milk Chocolate. Mild signs of toxicity can occur when 0.7 ounces per pound of body weight is ingested. Severe signs occur when two ounces per pound of body weight is ingested. This means that a little less than one pound of milk chocolate can be toxic to the nervous system of a 20-pound dog.

# Semi-Sweet Chocolate. Mild signs of toxicity can occur when 1/3 ounce per pound of body weight is ingested. Severe signs occur when one ounce per pound of body weight is ingested. This means that as little as six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate can be toxic to the nervous system of a 20-pound dog.

# Instant Cocoa. Mild signs of toxicity can occur when 1/3 ounce per pound of body weight is ingested. Severe signs occur when one ounce per pound of body weight is ingested. This means that as little as six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate can be toxic to the nervous system of a 20-pound dog.

# Baking Chocolate. Mild signs of toxicity can occur when 0.1 ounce per pound of body weight is ingested. Severe signs occur when 0.3 ounce per pound of body weight is ingested. Two small one-ounce squares of baking chocolate can be toxic to a 20-pound dog. This type of chocolate has the highest concentration of caffeine and theobromine and very little needs to be ingested before signs of illness become apparent.

Generally, within a few hours of ingesting a toxic amount of chocolate, signs of hyperactivity, tremors, panting and excessive urination are seen. Prompt veterinary care is recommended.

One uncommon but potential source of chocolate is in certain mulches. Cacoa bean mulch is made from the hulls of cacoa beans and when fresh has a rich, chocolate aroma. Ingestion of large amounts of fresh mulch can result in chocolate toxicity. To keep your pet safe, keep him away from the mulch until the chocolate aroma has gone. A thorough watering or heavy rainfull often reduces the potential toxicity.

Chocolate for horsey is a no - no!...Try other things that are healthier, say grab a handful of uncooked rolled oats...Its whole grain, no sugars added & horses love it!!! Try carrots, apples.ect..ect..or go to your local Equine supply store or tack stores, they will have a nice selection of horse treats to buy...If you don't want to spend money, make your own!...There's horse treat recipes online if you google them.

Is it ok to give a person arsenic? Horses are not able to eat chocolate; their digestive systems can't handle it.

My horse eats candy almost every day. As long as it isn't much. Poco LOVES candy...it's no different than sugar cubes. The vet isn't happy about it...but a little candy now and then is no worse for the horse than us as humans! :) Let the pony live a little!

No!! Horses, dogs, birds etc. cannot metabolize chocolate. Save it for me !

My horse ate pretty much anything. Lifesavers, crackers, cookies, hard candy, soft candy, ice cream, bread, he loved it all. Except apples he would not eat an apple, and he lived the ripe old age of 36.

Never chocolate to animals. Caffeine is very toxic for them. They love sugar, though.

no, never feed your horse: chocolate, anything with caffeine, meat.

i wouldn't give to any animal it closes the esophagus and acid will build up. not only that it speeds up their heart rate.

If you want to give them a treat give them carrots!!

no it's not okay. no animals should have chocolate. it can kill them or make them really sick.