**Why is chocolate harmful to a dogs health?** Chocolate, as you know, is made with cocoa beans. And cocoa beans contain methylxanthine alkaloids in form of theobromine and caffeinea, which are toxic to dogs. Chocolate can also contain high amounts of fat which can put your dogs health in jeopardy as well.

**How Much is Too Much?** Though it's certain that dogs and chocolate don't mix, different dogs react differently to methylxanthines. And reactions can vary according to age, size and overall health of dog. The smaller dog smaller dose needed to produce an effect. And of course, if your dog's health is already weakened by other medical conditions, he's more susceptible. The same holds for older dogs.. Theobromine is present in differing amounts in different kinds of chocolate:

·White chocolate 1mg/oz ·Hot chocolate 12 mg /oz ·Milk chocolate 44-66 mg/oz ·Semi-sweet chocolate 260 mg/oz ·Dark chocolate 450 mg/oz (wow!) ·Baking/bitter chocolate or cocoa powder varies as much as 150-600 mg/oz.

**How much chocolate can a dog eat and survive?**

That depends in part on her weight.

Under 200 mg theobromine per kg body weight (91mg per lb) has not been observed to be fatal. A potentially lethal dose in a 16 pound. dog is only one pound of milk chocolate. Only two ounces of baking chocolate can cause serious problems in a 10-pound dog. People stop eating chocolate before getting to toxic levels, but dogs don't!

**What are warning signs of a problem?**

Any dog who's eaten chocolate should be watched closely for symptoms, particularly smaller dogs, "seniors", and dogs with health problems. Symptoms may range from from vomiting and diarrhea to panting, excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death in severe cases.

While white chocolate may not be as likely to cause a methylxanthine poisoning, high fat content of lighter chocolates could still lead to vomiting and diarrhea, and possibly development of life-threatening pancreatitis. Too much fatty food will also affect a dogs health in same way it does ours, by packing on pounds!

By Ron Swerdfiger

www.web-rover.com

Wether it be on a vacation to your favorite resort, or just visiting in-laws for weekend, many people are choosing to take their dogs with them when traveling. Land or air, there are many things to take into consideration. The best advice is simply, be prepared. Below are some great tips for traveling by air and land.

Tips on preparing rover for air travel

Unless your dog is a frequent flyer, air travel is likely to be a very stressful experience, so you might want think twice about subjecting them to friendly sky . Each airline is going to have their own set of rules for traveling pets. Be sure to know details prior to making any arrangements.

- Have your vet sign a document (health certificate), stating that your dog is healthy, and free of disease.

– Make sure he is up-to-day with a flea tic program

- Do not feed your pet within 6 hours (some wait even longer) prior to departure. And no water 2 hours before takeoff.

- Make sure you have proper identifaction tags on him. This includes his name, and ALL your information...address phone number

- You MUST provide an adequate crate for you dog to travel in. The crate must be big enough rover to stand in, free of any “debris,”and strong enough to withstand rigors of travel. Be sure to check with your airline for more specific requirement.