Did Dog Eat Chocolate? What to Do: Symptoms, Risks, and Urgent Steps

What To Do if Your Dog Eats Chocolate. Chocolate to dogs is toxic, and depending on the type and amount of chocolate consumed and your dog’s weight, it could cause a severe medical emergency. If you know that your dog eats chocolate, it is essential to monitor it for signs of toxicity, and you should contact your vet for advice.

Find out which types of dog chocolate are most dangerous and what symptoms to look for that might signal that your dog needs treatment.

Inside this Article:

• Why chocolate is bad for dogs
• What To Do if Your Dog Eats Chocolate. The consequences
• What does chocolate do to dogs?
• Chocolate is bad for dogs: What To Do if Your Dog Eats Chocolate?
• How to stop your dog from eating chocolate

Why chocolate is bad for dogs

Chocolate is bad for dogs because it contains theobromine and caffeine, which can speed up the heartbeat and stimulate the nervous system in pets. The risk of your dog becoming ill from ingesting chocolate depends on the type and amount of chocolate consumed and the dog’s weight. In addition, the concentrations of these toxic substances vary between different kinds of chocolate. Here are some types of chocolate listed in order of theobromine content, so from most harmful to least harmful:

• Cocoa powder (most toxic)
• Unsweetened chocolate
• Semi-sweet chocolate
• Dark chocolate
• Chocolate milk (least harmful)

Knowing how much and what kind of chocolate your dog has eaten can help you and your vet determine if you have an emergency.

In simpler terms, this means that a very worrying dose of chocolate for dogs is about 60 grams of milk chocolate per kilogram of body weight. Since an average milk chocolate bar is 100 grams, consuming even one bar of chocolate can have serious consequences, especially for small dogs.

On the other hand, eating a crumb of chocolate cake or a tiny piece of a chocolate bar probably won’t kill your dog, especially if it is a giant breed, but you should never give chocolate to a dog.

What To Do if Your Dog Eats Chocolate. The consequences

Giving chocolate to dogs has dire consequences. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs usually appear within 6-12 hours after the dog has eaten it, can last up to 72 hours and include the following:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Restlessness
• Increased urination
• Tremors
• Elevated or abnormal heart rate
• Convulsions
• Death

Older dogs and dogs with heart problems are more at risk of sudden death from chocolate poisoning.

What does chocolate do to dogs?

Chocolate poisoning mainly affects the heart, central nervous system and kidneys. Symptoms of chocolate-eating dogs usually occur between four and 24 hours after your dog eats chocolate.

• Read more: Dog Treats, a Recipe for Homemade Dog Treats.

The effect and signs of chocolate poisoning in dogs depend on the amount ingested and the breed’s size. For example, a Labrador-sized dog that has eaten 200 g of milk chocolate is likely to experience stomach upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea. At 500 g, one will likely see cardiovascular problems and increased heart rate. Eating 750gr can cause convulsions.

Chocolate is bad for dogs: What To Do if Your Dog Eats Chocolate?

Now that you know why chocolate is bad for dogs, and if you think your dog has eaten chocolate, call your vet immediately for advice. Depending on the size of your dog and the amount and type of chocolate consumed, your vet may advise you to monitor your dog for the clinical signs listed above and call back if his condition worsens.

In other cases, your vet may prefer to see your dog immediately. For example, suppose your pet consumed chocolate less than two hours ago. In that case, your vet may induce vomiting and administer several doses of activated charcoal to move toxins out of the body without being absorbed into the bloodstream.

For more severe cases, it may require veterinary intervention to provide additional treatment, such as drugs or intravenous fluids, to resolve the effects of poisoning. In addition, dogs suffering from convulsions may need to be monitored in the clinic overnight.

How to stop your dog from eating chocolate

Although small amounts of milk chocolate may not cause problems in older dogs, it is still not advisable for pet owners to offer chocolate to dogs as a snack. To prevent your dog from secretly eating chocolate, follow these tips:

• Read also: Planning a chartered training course for dogs.

Put it away: make sure that all chocolate items, including cocoa powder and hot chocolate mix, are stored where the dog cannot reach them, e.g. on a high shelf in a closed cupboard. Please remind your children and guests that snacks should not be given to dogs but should be kept out of their reach and not left on shelves, tables or bags.

Teach ‘leave it‘: The command ‘leave it’ effectively prevents dogs from eating something that falls to the ground or is left within reach during a walk. It is also an effortless command to teach. For example, use it to prevent your dog from finishing chocolate.

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