What to Do If My Dog Eats Chocolate and When to Worry
Dogs love to put things in their mouths… including practically any food they can get their paws on! While many of our favorite foods are perfectly suitable for dogs, including most types of meats and many of our favorite vegetables, chocolate is one dessert that your dog will never be able to enjoy.
It’s all because chocolate is very toxic to dogs. Even if they ingest just a little bit of a candy bar, they could get very sick. Unfortunately, dogs aren’t usually the best at learning from their mistakes, so they may try to eat chocolate again even after vomiting up whatever they ate the first time!
Many dog owners wonder when they should worry if their dog eats chocolate and how much chocolate is toxic, especially if their dog is larger than average. Today, let’s break down what you should do if your dog eats chocolate and explain the steps you should take if you catch them with an empty chocolate bar wrapper.
What’s the Deal with Dogs and Chocolate?
While chocolate is sweet to both humans and dogs, chocolate is incredibly poisonous to the latter. It all boils down to a key ingredient in most chocolate called theobromine, which is a chemical actually similar to caffeine. Unfortunately, theobromine is totally toxic to dogs because their digestive systems can’t metabolize or break down this heart stimulant /muscle relaxant like our digestive systems can.
As a result, theobromine can build up and affect your dog’s digestive system, central nervous system, kidneys, and even their heart. This becomes even more dangerous if a dog eats dark chocolate, which is a purer version of this sweet and contains more theobromine. However, even milk chocolate contains enough theobromine to be dangerous for dogs. Different types of chocolates and pounds of body weight can affect your dog’s reaction.
If your dog eats even a little bit of chocolate, they could experience a number of uncomfortable or potentially dangerous symptoms.
Dog Chocolate Poisoning Symptoms
Dog chocolate poisoning is characterized by symptoms including:
- Vomiting, including vomiting blood in severe cases
- Hyperactivity or restlessness
- Diarrhea (theobromine is a diuretic)
- Tremors
- Muscle tension or incoordination
- Increased heart rate and rapid breathing
- Seizures
The severity and the full effects of the symptoms of dark chocolate poisoning will vary based on the size of the dog breed in question and how much chocolate they ate before they were caught.
Usually, you’ll be able to tell if your dog is suffering from side effects pretty quickly. Your dog’s digestive system will absorb the theobromine and other compounds rapidly, so time is of the essence if they munch on a chocolate bar without you knowing.
How Much Chocolate is Toxic for Dogs?
Technically, any amount. You’ll ideally never let your dog eat chocolate, even in a very small amount, as just a small quantity can be fatal if your dog is also a smaller breed.
Generally, theobromine is toxic to dogs at a rate of 100 mg per kilogram of body weight. For instance, if your dog is a lab retriever mix and weighs 30 kg, just 3000 mg of theobromine could lead to severe symptoms or even death after ingestion.
Unfortunately, 3000 mg of theobromine can be found in a single 500 g bar of dark chocolate or even 170 g of baking chocolate. All in all, any amount of chocolate is a bad idea, and you should do your best to prevent your dog from eating it no matter what.
One of the worst chocolates for your dog to eat is undoubtedly dark chocolate. A single 500 g bar of dark chocolate will have up to 4000 mg of theobromine, which is more than enough to potentially kill a 30 kg dog.
Cocoa powder is among the most toxic types of chocolate for dogs to consume, followed by unsweetened baker’s chocolate and semisweet chocolate. All in all, the more raw theobromine is included in a chocolate product, the worse it is for your canine companion.
Is White Chocolate Toxic to Dogs?
Usually not. White chocolate, as opposed to other types of chocolate, doesn’t contain enough theobromine to normally be toxic. This includes any type of white chocolate product, even those that supposedly have cocoa solids.
That being said, white chocolate also isn’t good for your dog, even if it isn’t fatally poisonous. White chocolate is usually very high in sugar, buttermilk, and fat. All of that can lead to an upset stomach for your dog and still cause them to vomit after consuming it.
Additionally, if your dog eats a lot of white chocolate quickly, the theobromine content could still build up enough to cause toxic side effects. All in all, it’s a good idea not to give your dog white chocolate; instead, there are other sweet treats you can give them, including watermelon or dog-specific treats!
What Should You Do if Your Dog Eats Chocolate?
If your dog eats any amount of chocolate, the best thing to do is contact your veterinarian ASAP. You can also call a pet poison hotline, depending on your area. In any case, your dog needs professional veterinarian attention both in order to treat the symptoms of chocolate poisoning and potentially stop their body from absorbing more of it.
In many cases, your veterinarian will ask you to bring your dog to their clinic as soon as you can. When at the vet’s office, your dog can be observed in a safe and clinical environment, and the veterinarian can do more advanced procedures if necessary. When in doubt, call your vet.
What if You Don’t Know How Much Chocolate Your Dog Has Eaten?
If you aren’t sure how much chocolate your dog has eaten, watch them carefully for any signs or symptoms of chocolate poisoning. If your dog is big enough, eating a very tiny bite from a bar of milk chocolate, for example, may not induce any symptoms at all aside from making them unwilling to eat their dinner that night.
Your veterinarian may request that you watch your dog carefully before bringing them to the clinic if you aren’t sure whether your dog has ingested a dangerous amount of chocolate. However, if you are worried, it’s never a bad idea to bring them to a veterinarian’s office anyway just to be safe.
How Can a Vet Treat Chocolate Poisoning for Your Dog?
It depends on how much chocolate your dog ate, the weight of their breed, and how much time has passed.
In many cases, the veterinarian will try to induce vomiting, which will flush out any remaining chocolate from your dog’s stomach and prevent them from absorbing more theobromine.
Your veterinarian may also give your dog a dose or two of activated charcoal. This compound can absorb some ingredients from your dog’s digestive system, including theobromine, that have moved past the stomach. This may prevent some of the toxins from being absorbed by your dog’s bloodstream and causing complications.
In more advanced cases, your veterinarian might provide supplemental treatments, such as using intravenous fluids (IV fluids) or medications to block or resolve the symptoms of chocolate poisoning. If your dog suffers from a seizure, your vet will likely request that they stay at the clinic overnight for monitoring.
Can You Help Your Dog if They’ve Eaten Chocolate?
If your dog just ate a piece of chocolate, your vet may recommend that you induce vomiting yourself before bringing them to the clinic. You can use things like hydrogen peroxide to force your dog to vomit by making them drink a good amount of the solution.
Your dog’s stomach won’t absorb the hydrogen peroxide, but drinking enough of it will cause them to involuntarily vomit. Hopefully, this will flush out the chocolate before their body has a chance to absorb too much theobromine. If you have difficulty doing this yourself, just get your dog to the veterinarian. They’ll be able to force the hydrogen peroxide down your dog’s throat using certain tools or assistants.
Ounces of Prevention: The Cure
Bottom line: you should never let your dog eat chocolate voluntarily, and you should monitor their behavior around chocolate bars or chocolate ingredients to make sure they don’t accidentally eat some.
Other foods that your dog should avoid are onions, garlic, and avocado. It’s easy to assume that alcohol is toxic to dogs, but be wary of peanut butter. While dogs often love peanut butter, it can contain xylitol as a sweetener, which is toxic. Always make sure to check labels.
Chocolate is toxic to dogs in any amount, although the potential symptoms or side effects of chocolate poisoning will become worse if your dog is a small breed or if they eat a lot of chocolate, particularly dark chocolate or baker’s chocolate.
If your dog starts to show signs of chocolate poisoning, get them to a vet’s office immediately. With a fast response, a veterinarian can usually prevent your dog from suffering some of the worst symptoms of chocolate poisoning.
Sources:
Chocolate Poisoning in Dogs | VCA Animal Hospital
Can My Dog Eat White Chocolate? | The Dog People by Rover.com
