Is Chocolate Harmful To Dogs?

As a pet owner, you may have heard that you should never allow your pooch to eat chocolate. You’re most likely wondering is chocolate harmful to dogs and the reasons why. So here’s what you’ll need to know about this potentially deadly food.

Why Is Chocolate Harmful To Dogs?

The reason chocolate can be so dangerous for your pet actually comes from the cocoa beans which are used to make it. Cocoa beans naturally contain a substance known as theobromine. This alkaloid is very similar to caffeine. And when it is consumed by canines it can cause a host of symptoms.

Eaten in small amounts it may cause diarrhea and vomiting. However larger quantities can cause tremors, abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, respiratory failure, seizures, and even death. Canines also take a very long time to metabolize theobromine. So once ingested pets may feel the effects for a long time, often up to thirty-four hours.

So How Much Chocolate Is Harmful To Dogs?

Just how dangerous the situation is will depend on how much chocolate your pet eats. It will also depend on the type of chocolate eaten. That’s because different varieties of chocolate contain varying amounts of theobromine. Milk chocolate usually has around sixty mg of theobromine per ounce.

Dark chocolate has about three hundred mg per ounce and un-sweetened baking chocolate usually contains around three hundred and ninety mg. Generally, one ounce of milk chocolate per pound of body weight is considered to be enough to be lethal. However because dark chocolate and unsweetened baking chocolate do have much higher concentrations a lot less needs to be eaten to cause potential death.

So for example for a fifty-pound dog, a lethal dose of milk chocolate would be around fifty ounces. However, it could take as little as twenty-five ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, and a little less than eight ounces of baking chocolate for the same dog to have fatal results.

Is White Chocolate Harmful To Dogs?

Despite its color, white chocolate still contains theobromine. However, it has much lower levels than other types in fact only around one mg per ounce.  So while it would take a much larger amount to do damage, it’s still considered dangerous and not something you want your pet to eat.

Little Pets Are Often At Higher Risk

Chocolate is dangerous for dogs of all sizes. But small dog breeds, typically those about twenty pounds and under are actually often more at risk. This is simply because it’s much more common for owners to have small amounts of chocolate in their home which may be dangerous for little pooches but not enough for big dogs to get sick.

That is of course unless you like to bake your own chocolaty desserts. In which case you will need to make sure your pet whatever size cannot get to your ingredients or tasty final products.

So Your Dog Ate Chocolate, What Should You Do?

If your dog has eaten chocolate you’ll want to call your vet immediately. The more info you can give your veterinarian the better, for instance, how much chocolate your pet ate and what type it was. Don’t forget to make sure you alert the doctor to any other dangerous foods for dogs that may have been consumed along with the chocolate such as macadamia nuts.

If you’re told to bring your dog into the animal hospital or clinic, taking along the packaging of the chocolate can be very helpful as well. For less serious non-toxic amounts your vet may have you induce vomiting at home. This is done within the first two hours after ingestion before the theobromine has had the chance to enter the bloodstream.

You know now what makes chocolate harmful to dogs, how much is actually dangerous, and what to do if your pooch eats it. So be sure to keep your chocolate locked away and out of your pet’s reach to avoid any potential problems.

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