Fact or Fiction?; December 2007; Scientific American Magazine; by Alison Snyder; 1 Page(s)

A small dog should be belly-up after eating a handful of holiday chocolates, at least according to pet owners' conventional wisdom. But watching Moose, a friend's five-pound Chihuahua, race around the living room after his sweet snack made me wonder: Is chocolate truly poisonous to dogs?

It is. The cacao bean, the central ingredient in chocolate, can sicken or, in some cases, kill members of the Canidae family.