Chocolate isn’t just irresistible for many of us. Even some dogs cannot resist this delicacy.
However, our fur noses should never eat chocolate – but what if that happened?
Our guide on the subject Dog ate chocolate tells you what you should do and when you should take your dog to the vet.
Dog ate chocolate – What to do?
Your dog ate chocolate? Then the first important step is Keep calm and, if you have any, keep the remaining chocolate safe bring to.
The next step is to try to find out how much chocolate your dog probably ate and what type of chocolate it was.
Once you figure that out, you should keep an eye on your dog for the next few hours.
Under certain circumstances, it can also make sense to get in touch with the veterinarian and/or to make your dog vomit.
Because the sooner the chocolate is excreted from the body, the better for your furry friend.
Good to know
Your dog ate white chocolate? Then you can probably rest easy here. Because this is considered the most non-toxic type of chocolate for our furry friends.
How much chocolate is dangerous for the dog?
become dangerous for the dog Theobromine amounts of 15 to 20 mg per kilogram of the dog’s body weight.
Why do we call it theobromine? It is the substance found in chocolate that is toxic to dogs. For us humans it is completely harmless.
However, theobromine can even be fatal for dogs – and that at a theobromine quantity of 100 to 500 mg per kilogram of body weight.
How much chocolate is dangerous for the dog also depends on the amount and type of chocolate.
White chocolate is considered the safest here, but it is also risky.
The following table gives an overview of the different types of chocolate and cocoa and the theobromine content they contain:
Chocolate/cocoa typeProportion of theobromine/mg per gram of chocolate/cocoamilk chocolate1.5 to 2mgDark/dark chocolate5 to 8 mgChocolate with 70% cocoa content20 mgChocolate with 90% cocoa content26 mgWhole milk cooking chocolate/couverture or dark chocolate14 to 16 mgcocoa powder14 to 26 mgraw cocoa18 to 35 mgWhite chocolate0.009 mg
As you can see, chocolate with a very high cocoa content is extremely dangerous for dogs.
Let’s take the example of 70 percent chocolate. Your dog ate 10 g of chocolate?
Then the absorbed theobromine dose would be up to 260 mg – and would therefore be deadly for your dog.
This life-threatening level can probably only be ruled out with white chocolate – because the dog would have to devour it in bars.
Let’s still ask the question: Your dog ate 10 g of white chocolate?
Then the absorbed theobromine content would be just 0.09 mg compared to dark chocolate.
For milk chocolate, 10 g of chocolate eaten by the dog would result in a theobromine intake of 15 to 20 mg.
This would already move the dog in the direction of poisoning – so quick action is necessary.
Good to know
Of course, white chocolate has no place in a dog’s stomach either. Although it contains almost no theobromine, it does contain huge amounts of sugar, which then become a health risk.
These are the poisoning symptoms & signs
There are some signs and symptoms of poisoning that you can use to tell your dog has eaten chocolate – how Vomiting and increased salivation.
There can also be a sign of poisoning if the dog drinks significantly more and subsequently urinates significantly more.
Hyperactivity, tremors, seizures, difficulty breathing and an accelerated heartbeat are also signs that the dog has poisoned himself with chocolate.
Your dog ate white chocolate? Then it may well be that none of the symptoms mentioned occur.
IMPORTANT
Very small amounts may not cause much damage in the short term. But if the dog gets a little bit of chocolate every now and then, it is a health risk.
Dog ate chocolate – how long do I have to watch him?
Your dog ate chocolate and you don’t know how long to watch him? The answer: you should keep an eye on him for 4 to 12 hours, sometimes longer, up to 17 or 18 hours.
However, this can also be restricted. How long you have to watch him also depends on the crowd.
So it is not improbable that high levels of theobromine in particular necessitate much faster intervention.
When do I have to go to the vet?
In general, we recommend take your dog to the vet immediately after eating chocolateso that no poisoning can set in in the first place.
However, you have a time window of around two hours in which a dog can be made to vomit – provided the amount is not significantly too high.
If your dog has eaten chocolate, a home remedy such as activated charcoal can help because it binds the toxins, which can then be excreted.
This window also applies to the vet, who can induce a dog to vomit with a sedative injection.
Gastric lavage is also possible here, which is then also accompanied by the administration of activated charcoal.
Dog ate chocolate but shows no symptoms
If your dog has eaten chocolate, even if it shows no symptoms of poisoning, it is advisable to contact a veterinarian immediately.
You can’t be sure how much chocolate your dog actually ingested, and it’s better to be safe and have him checked out by the vet.
Even if your dog has only eaten a small amount of chocolate and is not showing any symptoms, a veterinary consultation is recommended.
Has your dog ever eaten chocolate? Did he have symptoms or not? We’d love for you to share this story with us in the comments.