Chocolates Can Kill Dogs

Your dog begs for handouts, hoping for a stray scrap to savor. But when it comes to sharing your favorite foods with your canine pal, there’s one snack you have to hold back: chocolate. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs; however, the hazard of chocolate to your dog depends on the type of chocolate, the amount consumed and your dog's size. In large enough amounts, chocolate and cocoa products can kill your dog. The sweet treat can lead to illness and even death in dogs. Vets say it’s one of the most common causes of dog poisoning.

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Why not chocolate?

The toxic component of chocolate is theobromine. Humans easily metabolize theobromine, but dogs process it much more slowly, allowing it to build up to toxic levels in their system. A large dog can consume more chocolate than a small dog before suffering ill effects.

A small amount of chocolate will probably only give your dog an upset stomach with vomiting or diarrhea.

With large amounts, theobromine can produce muscle tremors, seizures, an irregular heartbeat, internal bleeding or a heart attack. The onset of theobromine poisoning is usually marked by severe hyperactivity.

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The usual treatment for theobromine poisoning is to induce vomiting within two hours of ingestion. If you are worried or suspect that your dog may have eaten a large quantity of chocolate and they are showing any of the signs listed above, call your veterinarian immediately.

If you have a small dog that has eaten a box of chocolates, you need to call and go to your veterinarian right away. Do not wait.

Some pet owners bribe their dog with peanut butter in a bowl and the hydrogen peroxide around the rim, she says, seeing as pups tend to lick their bowls clean. Once your dog vomits, don’t give them any food or water.

If you think your dog ate chocolate, don't wait for warning signs, Wismer says. These can take 6 to 12 hours to show up.

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Symptoms include:

Extreme thirst

Diarrhea

Too much energy

Pacing

Panting

Shaking

Seizures

The stimulants in chocolate stay in the body a long time. In severe cases, symptoms can last up to 72 hours. Early treatment will help your dog recover quicker and lower your costs, Wismer says.

Vets judge a dog’s condition and then decide on the right treatment, says Joseph Kinnarney, DVM. He's the president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The most common way vets treat chocolate poisoning is to use fluids and IV drugs, he says. For example, they'll use a drug called apomorphine to force vomiting, stomach pumping to flush the stomach with fluids, and medicine called activated charcoal to prevent the chocolate from getting into your dog’s blood.

Most dogs survive because of quick-acting owners, says Kinnarney, who's also president of the Reidsville Veterinary Clinic in North Carolina.

Different chocolate types have different theobromine levels. Cocoa, cooking chocolate and dark chocolate contain the highest levels, while milk chocolate and white chocolate have the lowest. If you’re dealing with any quantity of dark or bitter chocolate, err on the side of caution. The high level of theobromine in dark chocolate means it takes only a very small amount to poison a dog. Less than an ounce of dark chocolate may be enough to poison a 44-pound dog.

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Of course, never consider chocolate as a reward. Always provide healthy Science Diet Treats or simply reward your dog with lots of love and attention.

If you think your pooch might've eaten chocolate -- especially the darker kinds -- call your vet right away. They'll ask about your dog’s size, what kind of chocolate they ate, and how much. They might want you to make your dog vomit or simply watch their behavior, says vet Tina Wismer, DVM. She's the medical director of the Animal Poison Control Center at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

A chocolate chip cookie can cause problems for a little dog, and a bag of chocolate chips can spell trouble for a big one.

Dark chocolates, baking chocolate, and dry cocoa powder are more dangerous than white or milk chocolate. But 1 ounce of milk chocolate per pound of body weight could still be deadly.

And unlike most cats, which don’t have a sweet tooth, dogs will eat almost anything. They also don’t know when they’re full, Wismer says. “They will eat as much as they can get ahold of. A 10-pound dog can easily eat a pound of chocolate.”

Cocoa Shell Mulch: A Little-Known Danger

Think twice before you spread cocoa shell mulch on your property. It’s dangerous for pets, Wismer says -- especially since dogs like its sweet smell.

Use shredded pine, cedar, or hemlock bark instead, the ASPCA suggests.

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