Dogs and Chocolate
What's the truth about dogs and chocolate? This is the place to get answers to all of your questions about chocolate and dogs.
Chocolate contains theobromine, which can be toxic. Reactions depend on the amount of chocolate eaten and the size of the dog. In addition, some dogs seem to be more sensitive to theobromine than others. Older dogs and dogs with health problems will probably be more susceptible to the theobromine.
What signs should you watch for if your dog has eaten chocolate?
diarrhea vomiting muscle tremors increased urination restlessness increased heart rate irritability excitability excessive panting
If you think your dog has eaten chocolate, call your vet. Be ready to describe the symptoms you see in your dog.
Are some chocolates worse than others?
Some chocolates are definitely worse than others. Baking chocolate is the most toxic chocolate because it contains the MOST theobromime. Second worse would be semi-sweet chocolate. Milk chocolate comes in a distant third and white chocolate comes in as the least toxic.
How much chocolate can kill a dog?
A 20 pound dog would need to eat 250 pounds of white chocolate for it to be toxic.
(200 ounces per pound of body weight)
A 20 pound dog would need to eat 1 pound of milk chocolate for it to be toxic.
(1 ounce per pound of body weight.)
A 20 pound dog would need to eat 7 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate for it to be toxic.
(1/3 of an ounce per pound of body weight)
A 20 pound dog would need to eat 1/10 of an ounce of baking chocolate for it to be toxic.
((1/10 of an ounce per pound of body weight)
Avoid letting your dog eat chocolate. Amounts less than these may not kill your dog, but can still make them very sick. Check out National Geographic's Interactive Chocolate Chart for more on dogs and how much chocolate will harm them based on their weight.
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