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LetMyPeopleVote

(179,092 posts)
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 01:09 PM 15 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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20 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 15 hrs ago OP
Sobbing quaint 15 hrs ago #1
... sheshe2 14 hrs ago #2
Tears niyad 13 hrs ago #3
Made me cry too. Love JMCKUSICK 13 hrs ago #4
What a sweet story! ShazzieB 13 hrs ago #5
Reaching that decision Mtnmama 12 hrs ago #12
I'm so sorry... radical noodle 12 hrs ago #14
It is hard to say goodbye to a family member LetMyPeopleVote 11 hrs ago #17
Big, big tears here Grim Chieftain 13 hrs ago #6
Me, too... Silver Gaia 13 hrs ago #8
My precious dogs never let me down Grim Chieftain 13 hrs ago #10
Crying with you... oldsoldierfadingfast 13 hrs ago #7
Something in my eye... calimary 13 hrs ago #9
Crying here too. StarryNite 13 hrs ago #11
Crying gademocrat7 12 hrs ago #13
My niece had a dog that loved Reese's peanut butter cups dflprincess 12 hrs ago #15
I'm glad the sweet baby had her moment nuxvomica 12 hrs ago #16
Thanks for posting these links LetMyPeopleVote 11 hrs ago #18
Ohhhhh!! My heart is breaking but at least they were there at the end... SWBTATTReg 11 hrs ago #19
Anyone who would say it is wrong, is not part of the human race. Wonder Why 10 hrs ago #20

ShazzieB

(22,534 posts)
5. What a sweet story!
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 03:04 PM
13 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
12 hrs ago

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

LetMyPeopleVote

(179,092 posts)
17. It is hard to say goodbye to a family member
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 05:13 PM
11 hrs ago

I spent a couple of hours with my oldest child at the vet when he said goodbye to his dog.

Grim Chieftain

(1,657 posts)
6. Big, big tears here
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 03:09 PM
13 hrs 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
13 hrs 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

(29,326 posts)
15. My niece had a dog that loved Reese's peanut butter cups
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 03:56 PM
12 hrs 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

(14,060 posts)
16. I'm glad the sweet baby had her moment
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 04:03 PM
12 hrs 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

LetMyPeopleVote

(179,092 posts)
18. Thanks for posting these links
Tue Mar 17, 2026, 05:17 PM
11 hrs ago

My current beardie and our rescue husky/australian shepherd mix are great about not stealing human food. Our PBGVs and my prior beardie were really bad about trying to get human food

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