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LetMyPeopleVote

(179,071 posts)
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 01:09 PM 3 hrs ago

Giving Chocolate to dog at end of life

My sister is a veterinarian with a doctorate. We called her when one of our PBGVs was in bad shape in the evening. The poor puppy (she was 13 years old) had a cancer tumor that our regular vet did not want to remove. The poor puppy was in pain and my sister suggested that we give the puppy a pain pill wrapped in chocolate. I started to object and my sister made clear that this was okay. We got the puppy to stop crying and got her to our regular vet that morning.

I saw this story and it brought a tear to my eye


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16 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Giving Chocolate to dog at end of life (Original Post) LetMyPeopleVote 3 hrs ago OP
Sobbing quaint 3 hrs ago #1
... sheshe2 3 hrs ago #2
Tears niyad 2 hrs ago #3
Made me cry too. Love JMCKUSICK 2 hrs ago #4
What a sweet story! ShazzieB 2 hrs ago #5
Reaching that decision Mtnmama 1 hr ago #12
I'm so sorry... radical noodle 1 hr ago #14
Big, big tears here Grim Chieftain 1 hr ago #6
Me, too... Silver Gaia 1 hr ago #8
My precious dogs never let me down Grim Chieftain 1 hr ago #10
Crying with you... oldsoldierfadingfast 1 hr ago #7
Something in my eye... calimary 1 hr ago #9
Crying here too. StarryNite 1 hr ago #11
Crying gademocrat7 1 hr ago #13
My niece had a dog that loved Reese's peanut butter cups dflprincess 1 hr ago #15
I'm glad the sweet baby had her moment nuxvomica 1 hr ago #16

ShazzieB

(22,533 posts)
5. What a sweet story!
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 03:04 PM
2 hrs ago

This is really hitting me close to home, as we have an appointment with the vet to say goodbye to our cat Willow on Thursday. She was diagnosed with cancer a while back. For a long time it progressed very slowly, but it has finally reached the point where we feel like it's time to let her go. Losing a beloved pet is so hard.

Mtnmama

(150 posts)
12. Reaching that decision
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 03:35 PM
1 hr ago

Is so hard, almost as hard as actually doing it. We just want to hold on a little longer!

Grim Chieftain

(1,654 posts)
6. Big, big tears here
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 03:09 PM
1 hr ago

I miss my departed dogs more than words can say. They gave me pure, unconditional love., and I will love them and miss them forever.

7. Crying with you...
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 03:14 PM
1 hr ago

as I lost my beautiful Eden (Yorkie) a year ago today so I know how you feel.
Henry, her half brother is now 15 yo (I got them both at the same time, he was 5 mo. older) and it hurts to know he will be the last dog to sleep in my bed.
After reading your post, when his time comes, I will give him all the chocolate that he can eat..

A dog is good for two things - being on the wrong side of a door and breaking your heart. Bennett Cerf

dflprincess

(29,324 posts)
15. My niece had a dog that loved Reese's peanut butter cups
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 03:56 PM
1 hr ago

And was adept at stealing them if someone in the house got careless.

He had cancer & it was clear the end was near so she offered him one as a treat. He refused it & that's when she knew it was time to call the vet.

nuxvomica

(14,056 posts)
16. I'm glad the sweet baby had her moment
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 04:03 PM
1 hr ago

I found this toxicity calculator which may be helpful if your dog accidentally ingested chocolate:
https://veterinaryclinic.com/chocolate/embed/embed.html

While Googling for insight this, I learned that while chocolate can be toxic, xylitol, an artificial sweetener found in many human foods, may be even worse. I never heard of this before. Keep an eye out for foods with xylitol. It's no problem for me because I can't stand any artificial sweetener though it is in my toothpaste. It's also commonly used in chewing gum.
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/paws-xylitol-its-dangerous-dogs

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