Tears Over Heartbreaking Reason Why Woman Treats Her Dog to Chocolate

A pet owner has shared footage of the moment her senior dog tasted chocolate for the first time in the most heartbreaking of circumstances.

Laura, who runs her own business, Lush Blends Wax Melts, out of Hanover Park, Illinois, took to TikTok to post the footage of her beloved pet trying the sweet treat, which is traditionally off-limits to dogs.

Chocolate can be seriously harmful to dogs because it contains theobromine and caffeine. Both substances are used as a diuretic, heart stimulant and blood vessel dilator, as well as a smooth muscle relaxant. Because canines cannot metabolize theobromine and caffeine as well as humans can, they are significantly more sensitive to the effects of both.

The American Veterinary Medical Association states: "Although some types of chocolate are not as toxic as others, it's safer to keep your pet away from all types of chocolate."

That's not to say dogs would not enjoy the taste of chocolate of course, and there are some circumstances where pet owners might choose to let their canine companion try the sweet treat just one. One such example played out for Laura and her family in a video posted to TikTok under the handle @lushblends26.

Writing alongside the clip, Laura said that their senior dog had been a part of their family for as long as anyone could remember. "My husband got him when we started dating," she wrote. "He's been there when my kids were just born and was there when they were growing up. He protected me and the kids."

However, when her dog's health began to decline, she knew it was a matter of time before they would be forced to say goodbye. "It was so hard seeing him in pain," Laura wrote alongside the video. "Vet told me he will give me signs when he is ready to go. He finally showed me those signs."

With time quickly running out, Laura decided to treat her old friend to a bar of Hershey's. She sat down alongside her kids and their beloved pup as they fed him the chocolate piece by piece.

The video of the heartbreaking moment was shared to TikTok by Laura, with the clip garnering over 1.9 million views and thousands of comments from dog lovers left heartbroken over the footage. "No dog should go to heaven without tasting chocolate," one viewer wrote. "This instantly made me cry," another added, with a third writing: "The tears in his eyes he knows what's happening."

Elsewhere, one user commented: "it takes a lot of chocolate to harm a dog. so why not allow them to have a taste of goodness." Laura responded to that comment: "Agree. He loved it! Made me cry."

Sadly, she confirmed her dog was put to sleep soon after. It's a decision that continues to haunt Laura even now. "Putting him down was the hardest and worst thing I did," she wrote in the comments section. "I still regret and feel like I did something wrong." Viewers were keen to reassure her that she had little choice and should instead focus on everything she gave her dog rather than what she was forced to take away.

One user summed it up best, responding: "You didn't do anything wrong. You loved him and gave him an amazing life."

Newsweek has reached out to @lushblends26 via TikTok for comment.

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