Chocolate Poisoning in Dogs: What You Need to Know

Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine, a stimulant similar to caffeine, which is safe for humans to consume, but is actually toxic for dogs, cats, and rabbits. These animals struggle to break this substance down, leading to complications when they eat it.

Since this substance is toxic for dogs, the more they eat the worse their reaction will be to it. As well as theobromine, chocolate contains caffeine, another substance that does not agree with dogs.

When your dog eats chocolate, as they struggle to metabolise it, their bodies will do everything in their power to reject it. As a general rule, the darker the chocolate, the more theobromine it will contain, meaning it will be more toxic to your pooch. Dark chocolate tends to contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate, for reference. But even chocolate with low levels of the substance can be toxic if enough is eaten, the more your dog eats, the higher the risk of a bad reaction.

How much chocolate is needed to be toxic or fatal does depend on the size of the dog, as they come in all shapes and sizes. For a smaller dog around 6lbs, the danger zone would be around 70g of milk chocolate. A medium sized dog, weighing around 75lbs, would need to consume about 420g of milk chocolate for it to be dangerous. Finally, for a large dog, around 190lbs, they would have to eat about 950g of milk chocolate to cause them trouble.

There are many different symptoms that could be a sign of chocolate poisoning in your dog, these symptoms usually appear after two hours but sometimes they can take up to 12 hours to be apparent.

Theobromine causes the nervous system, guts, and muscles to go into overdrive, leading to symptoms such as restlessness, increases thirst, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain. The toxicity can also cause faster breathing or panting, seizures and tremors, a faster heart rate and a higher temperature. Although rare, in the most severe cases chocolate poisoning can lead to heart failure, a coma, and even death.

Due to its long half-life, theobromine can stay in your dog’s system for days, it can take 72 hours for the effects of chocolate poisoning to ease. This can differ on the amount they eat, but three days is usually the expected timeframe for the symptoms to last. Thankfully, long-term effects are unlikely to occur, and most dogs do make a full recovery after experiencing chocolate poisoning. Only in extremely rare cases do dogs suffer long-term effects from serious cases, if a dog suffers from prolonged seizures during the reaction, it could lead to brain damage, however this is very rare.

Regardless of how much chocolate you think your dog has eaten, it is always best to call your vet, provide them with as much information you can and arrange an appointment as soon as possible if your dog has eaten a toxic dose.

If you can reach a vet within a few hours, they will induce vomiting to get the chocolate out of your dog’s system. It is important to not try this yourself and let a professional handle the situation, a vet may give your dog an injection to make them be sick, so its best to let them take the reins. A vet may also give your dog activated charcoal; this will absorb any remaining toxins.

For more serious cases, a fluid drip could be needed to support their vital organs and prevent them from becoming dehydrated. Sedation may be required if your dog is suffering from severe tremors or seizures, and in some cases, your dog may need to be monitored overnight.

Due to the varying degrees of treatment that may be required, it is always best to let a professional handle the situation. Contact your vet or an animal poison helpline as soon as you can, treating your dog at home could just make matters worse and delay proper treatment.

You can get your hands on dog-friendly chocolate, and of course Jollyes has you covered with a host of dog-safe chocolate treats. While you’re here, you should also read up on other foods that are toxic to dogs.

For all your dog needs, head to our dogs page.