Help! My Dog Ate Chocolate What To Do?

Chocolate may be one snack you don’t want to share with your furry family members.

Is chocolate poisonous to dogs?

Most pet owners are aware that some chocolate can be poisonous to our dogs, but exactly how and why this happens is less well-known. 

Chocolate contains some compounds called methylxanthines, which are naturally found in cocoa. Methylxanthines can be poisonous to our dogs (and humans!) if eaten in large quantities. However, not all chocolate contains the same amount of cocoa, so different kinds of chocolate may be more or less poisonous to our dogs.

White Chocolate

There is no cocoa in white chocolate, meaning it is not poisonous to our dogs in the same way as milk or dark chocolate can be. However, there are other reasons why it is not a good idea to give our dogs white chocolate – it is rich in both fat and sugar, meaning it can lead to an upset stomach or even pancreatitis if left untreated.

Milk Chocolate

There is a moderate amount of cocoa in milk chocolate, and so it can be poisonous to dogs if they eat enough. Different brands will contain different amounts of cocoa. As a general rule, more expensive chocolate tends to have higher amounts than cheaper chocolate, but this is not always the case. You should be able to find out how much cocoa is in chocolate by looking at the packet.  

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate contains high levels of cocoa – luxury brands of bitter chocolate may contain up to ninety percent cocoa. This means that dark chocolate is the most poisonous type of chocolate for our dogs. 

Chocolate Flavoured Food

Of course, not all chocolate comes in a bar – cakes, cookies, and other comfort foods may all contain chocolate or cocoa. Sadly, some of these delicious goodies can be just as dangerous to our pets as straightforward chocolate.  

The amounts of cocoa (and therefore the amount of poison) can vary a lot in chocolate-flavored food. For example, chocolate brownies are often made with both dark chocolate and cocoa powder, and therefore contain larger amounts of the poisonous methylxanthines. Chocolate chip cookies, on the other hand, only contain smaller pieces of milk chocolate, meaning pets have to eat a lot more of them to poison themselves. Of course, cookie batter is also rich, and can cause problems of its own!

Not all chocolate contains the same amount of cocoa, so different kinds of chocolate may be more or less poisonous to our dogs.

How much chocolate does my dog need to eat to get sick?

The exact amount of chocolate that it takes to make a dog sick will depend on the size of the dog, and also on whether they have any other health conditions. 

For example, a small dog (such as a Chihuahua or Pomeranian) can become seriously ill after eating a single ounce of dark chocolate. However, a larger dog like a Labrador or Golden Retriever may be able to eat seven or eight ounces of milk chocolate and suffer no ill effects at all. 

Certain health conditions may increase a dog’s risk of becoming ill after eating chocolate, including:

• Epilepsy or other brain diseases that increase the risk of seizures
• Heart disease
• Liver disease
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Having been previously treated for pancreatitis

What are the symptoms of chocolate poisoning?

The symptoms that a dog experiences after eating chocolate will depend on how much they have eaten, and how big they are

If only a small amount of chocolate has been eaten, then this may cause no symptoms at all. 

If a moderate amount of chocolate has been eaten, then this may cause an upset stomach. Symptoms include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Restlessness
• Excessive panting 
• Loss of appetite
• Abdominal pain
• Your dog may stand with their back hunched or try to stretch out with their front end held low and their back end held high (the so-called “praying position”). 
• Increased thirst and urination

If only a small amount of chocolate has been eaten, then this may cause no symptoms at all. 

If a large amount of chocolate has been eaten, relative to the dog’s size, then more severe symptoms may be seen. These include:

• Muscle tremors
• Wobbliness when walking 
• Increased heart rate
• Irregular heart rate
• Increased body temperature – similar to a fever
• Seizures
• Quietness or coma

In severe cases, chocolate poising can sadly be fatal.

What should I do if my dog has eaten chocolate?

If your dog accidentally manages to eat some chocolate, then you will need to know two things to work out if it is likely to be poisonous:

• How much your dog weighs, and
• How much chocolate they have eaten 

If you see your veterinarian regularly, they should have your dog’s weight on file, so call them if you are unsure about this. They can advise you on whether the amount of chocolate that your dog has eaten is likely to be poisonous, and discuss the treatment options with you, too. 

You may also find it useful to try an online Chocolate Calculator to see if you can work out whether the dose is likely to be poisonous.

Conclusion

Chocolate poisoning is common in dogs as they enjoy the sweet treat as much as we do. It can cause serious problems or even be fatal in some cases, but thankfully with rapid treatment, most dogs will make a full recovery. 

As with many things, prevention is better than cure, so always keep chocolate and chocolate-flavored treats well out of reach of pets’ prying paws!