Sandy McKeever (FML #1865) chimed in on The Great Chocolate Debate:
 
>What I do know is hearsay at best, but the way I understand the hearsay
>is, that ferrets cannot digest chocolate and it CAN lay in their digestive
>system and CAN BECOME TOXIC!
 
There's a lot of confusion on this issue.  Let's extirpate some of the
misconceptions, although the issue of chocolate is still confusing.  First,
I see no reason why ferrets could not digest chocolate.  It won't lay in the
digestive system.  From all that I've seen, the major concern over chocolate
revolves around whether the theobromine in it is toxic.  Theobromine belongs
to a class of compounds that includes caffeine, theophylline (an asthma
drug) and pentoxifylline (a vasodilator and anti-hypertensive drug).  Most
of the toxicity with chocolate is reported in dogs.  Dogs appear to
metabolize theobromine less efficiently than other mammals, leading to
toxicity.  Chocolate, cocoa and mate (pronounced MAH-tay) all contain fair
amounts of theobromine.
 
Is theobromine hazardous?  That depends on what other medical conditions
already exist.  The evidence seems very contradictory.  For example,
theobromine might have positive effects on reproduction since it increases
sperm motility and penile contraction.  On the other hand, it also appears
to damage Sertoli cells, the "nurse" cells in the testicles that nurture
spermatozoa.  The data on cancer is equally contradictory.  Theobromine does
not appear to increase the risk of liver cancer in rats but, in humans,
epidemiologic studies suggest that high intake may increase the risk of
prostate cancer.  Then again, theobromine also inhibits anticancer drugs
from being pumped out of cancer cells and it decreases the ability of
cancers to sprout new blood vessels, thus limiting their growth.  So, it
seems that theobromine could have both risks or benefits depending on the
situation.
 
Even if dogs are sensitive to theobromine, it doesn't mean other animals
are.  People occasionally binge on huge amounts of chocolate.  Two friends
of mine traveled through Switzerland eating nothing but Toblerone chocolate.
They're still kicking.  I think the concern is overblown.  Certainly,
chocolate isn't great nutrition, but it's probably no more toxic than basil,
edible mushrooms, black pepper and licorice, all of which are mildly toxic.
I would echo Sukie's advice to keep chocolate away from any ferret with
cardiovascular problems.  I'd also add that theobromine and related
compounds might exacerbate seizures in ferrets that already suffer
convulsions.  (Note: theobromine should not *cause* seizures, but could make
existing problems worse.)  There are ferret owners who give their ferrets
occasional chocolate without any apparent problem but everyone should be
aware of the possibility of toxicity if a ferret were to get too much of a
good thing.  (That means keeping those chocolate bunnies out of reach of the
fuzzheads.)
 
--Jeff Johnston ([log in to unmask])
[Posted in FML issue 1868]