You're recommending chocolate for a dog...?

[Dreamstalker]

I was at the local natural market getting a few things (and some gift ideas) when I overheard the following.

*BG: Customer is inquiring about CBD oil products*
C: customer
Me: duh
E: employee (note: she didn't seem too educated/knowledgeable or interested in what she was advising on)

C: "I'm actually looking for a product for my dog, for anxiety."
E: "What kind of dog?"
I don't remember C's answer, but it was a small breed, about 7-8 pounds.
E: "Okay, well you'll want a tincture, this one's chocolate-mint and dogs like the taste."
*recordscratch*
M: "I'm sorry for interrupting, but did you say you wanted it for your dog? I'm going to have to warn you off of the one you're holding, as this is a human formulation. Chocolate anything is toxic to dogs and small dogs are at higher risk. I'd suggest an unflavored one or the infused dog treats."
C: "Dog treats? Those would be a lot easier to get her to take, and probably to dose too."
*to E* "Can I see the unflavored tincture? And where are the CBD pet treats?"
*to me* "Thank you, I didn't know about chocolate being toxic."
M: "You're welcome. Better to be safe with our pets, no?"
E wasn't too pleased, as the chocolate-mint tincture was about $15 more than the unflavored one. Still, I couldn't stand by and let that advice get into the wild...especially since if anything happened to C's dog, the store would likely be on the hook.

[notalwaysright]

E: "Okay, well you'll want a tincture, this one's chocolate-mint and dogs like the taste."
*recordscratch*

Uhhh, leaving aside the fact that this employee would potentially poison someone's animal, dogs are not generally known to be picky. So to say that the dog would like the taste is even more stupid. Dogs eat their own poop, yo.

On the other hand, I was at the local overpriced boutique pet supply store and not only did someone come talk to be as I was staring at the cat food, he offered to open a bag to make samples for me, since they didn't have samples pre-packaged for that particular brand. Because cats ARE known to be picky, that store wanted to make sure my cat would eat the food. I'm lucky that my cat will eat anything, and I've never seen him turn down a food. Anyway, I've had much better experiences at the co-op here, they have dedicated staff for the supplements/skin care/essential oils section and they've helped me before.

[Seanette]

Uhhh, leaving aside the fact that this employee would potentially poison someone's animal, dogs are not generally known to be picky. So to say that the dog would like the taste is even more stupid. Dogs eat their own poop, yo.

Or barf. Or "litterbox crunchies".

I love dogs, but some of their quirks can be just a bit disgusting at times.

[dalesys]

Or "litterbox crunchies"...

My dauger's dog calls those "kitty truffles"!

[Mental_Mouse]

My dog liked the poop of a variety of species. Goose poop was a special favorite, but according to the vet she also had antibodies for a parasite that's more usual in rabbits.

In general, dogs find out what something is by tasting it. This is why vets see a lot of dogs poisoned by their random explorations, but not nearly as many cats.

[dalesys]

Christine Kane covers this topic in "Lao Chi's and Dog Bakeries" from her "A Friday Night In One Lifetime" album. (Not presently available on YT )

[Dreamstalker]

The human CBD formulations are often a lot pricier per-unit, and even for people dosage can be trickier. That's why purpose-made pet treats and drops exist.

I'm guessing that a lot of people who have psycho dogs or cats just read that "CBD can calm crazy pets!" and not done any further research.

[Buzzard]

Oh yes, it's NATURAL, so it MUST be the BESTEST THING EVAR!
Read a headline... well, skim a headline... well, talked to someone who skimmed a headline who SWEARS this stuff cures everything, so it must be so.

It'll be nice when enough actual research comes out more to maybe drown out some of the OMG! hype.

[Seanette]

Oh yes, it's NATURAL, so it MUST be the BESTEST THING EVAR!

You mean like arsenic and strychnine and radioactive materials are natural?

[greek_jester]

You mean like arsenic and strychnine and radioactive materials are natural?

I actually won an argument like that once; my mum has suffered from high blood pressure for years, and before she went on dialysis a friend recommended that she drink hibiscus tea (proper tea made out of the flower heads, not the cruddy stuff in commercial tea bags). I pointed out that mum might want to check with her doctor or pharmacist first to be sure that it didn't clash with her medication, at which point the "but it's all natural, what harm can it do to her?" came out. My winning point was:

"If it's all natural, why don't I make you a nice refreshing tea of foxglove or belladonna? "

Said friend went quiet, then said "maybe check with your doctor first".

[Dreamstalker]

My mom's considering oral CBD for her fibromyalgia (although a few recent studies show that THC as well in combination is slightly more effective--makes sense as THCA can be antinflammatory); I keep telling her to run it by her doctor since just because a topical is safe doesn't mean an oral formula will be (skin absorption is unlikely to affect any other body system where oral gets into the bloodstream and can affect anything).

There was a pretty bad pedestrian/car accident last week (two small children were killed) where the driver admitted to taking both CBD oil and a sleeping pill before getting behind the wheel and then passed out.

[Buzzard]

Don't know how much effect the oil would have, even in combination, but the pill itself ... seriously. I'd ask WTF the idiot was thinking, but we know the follow-up/correction to that: "What makes you think this guy was THINKING?"

I've got a family member, with an ex-boyfriend who's on mood-altering/stabilizing meds, who discovered the joys of smoking the green stuff. Don't tell the doc about this stuff, call it 'medicine' and be constantly puffing on the pipe. Yeah. Things got right unpleasant at the end. He's... been encouraged to enjoy a one way trip to the wider world.

[notalwaysright]

It's interesting... On the one hand they want this natural remedy to be strong enough to help them, but apparently they don't want it to be necessary to tell the doctor about this amazing thing that's helping them? You can't have it both ways.

I'll say, I go to a naturopathic doctor, and I know a lot of people look down on that. But they take both prescription meds and "natural" remedies seriously. If I need a prescription, then she'll write it for me. If not, she'll make other suggestions. To me, it's the best of both worlds.

And just as a final note... Nowadays, who doesn't know that chocolate is bad for dogs? This is common knowledge. Haha, I'm laughing even as I type it, because if "common knowledge" was still real, this site wouldn't exist.

[csquared]

And just as a final note... Nowadays, who doesn't know that chocolate is bad for dogs? This is common knowledge. Haha, I'm laughing even as I type it, because if "common knowledge" was still real, this site wouldn't exist.

I was beginning to worry about you.

What makes chocolate dangerous for dogs is the caffeine. One ounce of dark chocolate for a small dog would be like an average size person chugging 6 cups of coffee. It would send a little pups heart rate from 100 bpm up to 500 bpm in no time.

That being said...
A 25% Milk Chocolate (Like the bag of M&Ms that my 40lb pup got into) is not as bad as a 90% Dark Chocolate.
The flavoring in the tincture would not be the concern (most likely artificial), but the CBD concentration for a dog that small.

[MoonCat]

If it's all natural, why don't I make you a nice refreshing tea of foxglove or belladonna? "

Ha, I once had belladonna mixed with some other medication while at the E.R. because I refused the other stuff they were going to give me for pain (because it could cause nausea). Damn but that belladonna cocktail worked well! I would never try to recreate it on my own, though