One Christmas, I received a pound of Russell Stover candy. The box had been stuffed inside my stocking, and after marveling at Santa’s generosity, I piled travel-size toiletries, a new toothbrush, and various other North Pole offerings on top of my Russell Stover box on the hearth. I wanted to dig in right away, but I was already running late for a family dinner at the local Chinese buffet. I took one last look at the presents before locking the house and heading down the highway for Cashew Chicken.
I skipped the best chocolate pudding in the world at the restaurant because I knew that a pound of goodies waited for me at home. When we opened the back door, my beloved canine companion, Roxanne, lay in the middle of the kitchen floor. Her stomach was bloated and she barely moved her eyes to acknowledge us—much different than the usual sniff-fest that had greeted us for fourteen years. Little bits of plastic wrap and wet cardboard dotted the kitchen and living room floors, and a pile of brown paper candy cups rested near Roxanne.
In almost fifteen years, my little black and white shih tzu/poodle mix had never gotten into candy. Underwear, broccoli, and crayons, but never chocolate. Apparently a pound of sweets at her eye level was just too much temptation. We called the vet’s emergency line, and after describing the assorted cream and caramel fillings, were told that Rox was a very lucky girl. Chocolate can kill a dog, but since most of the Russell Stover box had been filled with candy that only had a chocolate shell, she’d probably just be sick all night. We were told to keep close watch over her and to expect hours of vomiting. If the candy had been solid chocolate, she’d have died.
After eating sixteen ounces of candy—a feat even I’ve never attempted—little Roxanne threw up only once, and was ready for breakfast in the morning. She lived another two years, and to my knowledge never tasted another chocolate.
Let this be a friendly holiday warning to pet owners—in the excitement of giving and receiving, don’t forget that what fuels a Candy Addict can kill your best friend. Happy holidays, and remember to keep your gifts out of snout’s reach!
Thanks for the reminder! I’ll add that it’s just as toxic to cats, and any other small animals. (Although few animals besides dogs will eat a whole lot…)
And dark chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate, since it contains much more of the dangerous substance.
When I was a kid, we had a truly stupid terrier mix. The dog was simply too dumb to know that chocolate was supposed to be bad for it. It swiped a whole giant sized hershey bar and didn’t have a single problem. And it loved chocolate covered graham crackers.
But, if you have a dog you care about, be very careful.
Awww! Poor thing! So far my pup hasn’t discovered chocolate. One of my friends almost lost his dog one Christmas. You know those chocolate orange things? The ones you crack and they come apart like slices of orange? Anyway, their dog got into the Christmas goodies under the tree and ate the whole chocolate orange. Needless to say, the dog was very ill and had its insides emptied! Eww
My dog used to love chocolate… he would always get into candy, if we left it where he could reach it. And my parents, despite my protests, had a tendency to give him stuff with chocolate in it. Never a large amount, but chocolate nonetheless. Jamie lived until he was 17, so apparently he wasn’t too bad off… but for any pets I have in the future, chocolate is out.
Update: I received a box of Russel Stover candy at the office Christmas party this afternoon. I’m taking it to a party tonight and leaving it there! Although I’ll probably eat a few pieces before I go home…
Gosh! What a story! o.o! Definitely helpful info for pet owners!
Yay! I’m happy you got another box of Russell Stover’s! I hope you got all your favorite pieces in the box. ^_^