# How much Chocolate?



## Gizmosmom (Oct 21, 2004)

I posted this for someone but I thought I'd post it here too, to help put the chocolate thing into perspective for you all. I see way too many freak out when their dogs ingest a tiny bit of chocolate. Here are the facts on how much of which chocolate is really toxic to your dogs.

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Chocolate Toxicity in Dogs
How many times have you been eating that chocolate chip cookie when you look over and see those sad puppy dog eyes staring at you? You remember hearing that chocolate is toxic to dogs. But what makes chocolate toxic to dogs and why is it that some dogs ingest it and don’t get sick? Here are some facts to clear up some of the confusion surrounding chocolate toxicity in dogs. 

Chocolate can indeed be toxic to dogs. In fact, it is one of the 20 most reported poisonings. The ingredient in chocolate that causes the toxicity is theobromine. The minimum toxic level of theobromine is 100-200mg/kg with 250-500mg/kg being the level at which half of the dogs would die as a result of consuming chocolate. So what does that mean as far as how much chocolate is toxic? The level of theobromine varies depending on the type of chocolate. The levels of theobromine are listed below:

Milk chocolate
60 mg/oz

Baking chocolate
450 mg/oz

Semi-sweet chocolate
260 mg/oz

Hot chocolate
12 mg/oz

White chocolate
1 mg/oz

Given these levels, 4 oz of milk chocolate contains about 240mg of theobromine. Considering that the average chocolate bar contains 2-3 oz of milk chocolate, it would take 2-3 candy bars to produce toxicity in a 10 lb dog. However, a single ounce of baking chocolate could produce severe toxicity in the same size dog.

So, how does chocolate make dogs sick? Theobromine causes the release of certain substances, norepinephrine and epinephrine, that cause an increase in the dog’s heart rate and can cause arrhythmias. Other signs seen with chocolate toxicity can include increased urination, vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity within the first few hours. This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.

What should be done if a dog does ingest a toxic amount of chocolate? If it has been less than 2 hours, the dog should be made to vomit. Unfortunately, chocolate tends to form a ball in the stomach and may be difficult to remove. Supportive care should be provided for any other signs the dog is exhibiting.

Though it may not be harmful to the dog in small quantities, it is safer to avoid giving chocolate to dogs in general. As with everything else, it’s better to be safe than sorry

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So next time your dog ingests an M&M.... relax!


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

Brinkley has licked an occassional M&M to get to the peanut at the center...part of the dangers of having children in the house...it didn't seem to affect him...although if he got hold of an entire bag or candy bar it would freak me out.
Good information you posted...thanks!


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## Teddyandme (Feb 6, 2005)

Thanks for the information - but I must caution all of us, just like humans all our little ones will respond differently. 

We all know that, as an example in humans, coffee affects every person differently. I am unable to drink a cup of coffee without showing signs of elevated blood pressure and panic attack symptoms, while others on here I am sure will consume many cups a day with no adverse reactions. This will hold true for each of our little furbabies with chocolate. 

My daughters fluffbutt OD'ed on chocolate - twice. Once was as you say a higher amount than an MM, but another time was a very little amount. 

I would always take any chocolate consumption as serious.


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

Good information thank you, but I feel that it is far safer to avoid anything that can be toxic just to be on the safe side. I agree that all dogs are not alike in what may make them sick, therefore it is far safer to keep all chocolate away from our pets, I for one would rather not learn the hard way that Scooby is one of the few that could become ill from a minute amount.


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## Gizmosmom (Oct 21, 2004)

As the article says, it's better to avoid any exposure to chocolate.... but I just want to make sure people don't freak out and pay excessive vet's bills when it's not necessary. I come from South Africa and it was never an issue. Nobody knew about chocolate being toxic to dogs so people fed it to them. My moms lab mix loved chocolate covered peanuts, and her maltese also loved chocolate, and never suffered any adverse reactions. It's good now to have a guideline so that when they do get their hands on chocolate you know when to really panic and when to just watch them.


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

I agree it's good to think you don't need to panic but I will say this, I had a friend back in Australia whose Australian Terrier ate half a bar of dairy milk chocolate and went into a coma and died. She had no idea what happened because the dog had eaten it at night while everyone was in bed and by the time they did get it to the vet it was too late. I guess some dogs are more susceptible than others.









I did find this article of interest.

The number of cases of accidental poisoning by chocolate in dogs, particularly during the Christmas and Easter holidays, is increasing on both sides of the Atlantic. The same goes for calls reporting that dogs have ingested their owner's medication left lying on a bedside table or other accessible place. 

Dogs are sensitive to a class of chemicals of which caffeine and theobromine are two members. Dogs are unable to excrete these chemicals known as methylxanthines as efficiently as humans are. The half-life of these compounds is about 2 hours in a human but in a dog it is more like 18 hours. What happens in dogs is that the compounds travel via the liver and bile duct into the intestine where they are converted back into the original methylxanthines for another circuit through the dog's system. This process keeps on repeating itself so that instead of excreting the substance the dog keeps on repoisoning itself. 

It has been calculated that the lethal dose of sweet milk chocolate for a dog is 2 ounces per kilo (2.2lb) of body weight. For an 11lb dog this would be about 10 ozs. The Dark Chocolate is considered to be at least 10 times as lethal. A 22lb dog could die from the methylxanthines contained in just 2 ounces of plain dark chocolate. 

The symptoms of methylxanthine poisoning are: vomiting, hyperactivity, restlessness, hypersensitivity to touch, rapid heartbeat and rate of breathing with loss of control of the leg muscles followed by muscle tremors, then seizures, general weakness, coma and ultimately death. 

Chocolate can also irritate the gastrointestinal tract causing diarrhoea and possibly gastric bleeding. These symptoms can occur up to two days after the chocolate is eaten. 

Treatment is aimed at clearing the chocolate from the dog's stomach, administering activated charcoal and other substances to absorb the poison and keeping the fluid balance of the dog under control. Only your vet can only carry out this treatment. Inducing vomiting within 2 hours of the chocolate being consumed can also help. 

Two common sayings should be reconsidered: "Just one won't hurt him" and "let's wait and see what happens". Whereas it is unlikely that one chocolate will poison a dog it will give him a taste for chocolate. Far better to keep a treat jar for these occasions containing chocolate flavoured treats made especially for dogs, as these don't carry the same risks. 

Since dogs do not seem to be as sensitive to bitter tastes as humans they may eat the more concentrated, and thus even more toxic, baking chocolate if a chance arises. Alternatively it will consume a toxic amount of milk or dark chocolate if it can get into an improperly stored supply. 

Should your dog find and consume a quantity of chocolate it is important to seek advice from your vet immediately. The sooner treatment is started the more hopeful the outcome. Chocolate can kill a dog. 

However well trained a dog is it is still a dog and like us is tempted by the smell and tastes of things it finds. Like a small child its curiosity leads it to put things it finds in its mouth. 

The only safe answer is to keep medication and chocolate out of reach of your pet, preferably in a secure cupboard. At least that way you will save yourself the heartache and expense incurred by an increasing number of owners.


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

Although I think I will stick to no chocolate for Sassy it is good to know that "just in case" she should find an m&m on the floor I would not have to freak out. Thanks for the info! Sassy eats too many mommy treats so I think I will keep the chocolate for myself.


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## Boobookit (Dec 3, 2005)

I am so spastic that I will never leave chocolate around!!! LOL Funny that this subject came up because last night at my Mom's for dinner when we came home I had a little piece of a white cake that had chocolate crumbs on it. Sort of like a crumb cake but the crumbs were chocolate.....The chocolate crumbs were in a paper tower on my coffee table.

I am sitting here at the computer and I look over and pacino (paper fetish king) who got ahold of the paper towel and licked the chocolate crumbs....(probably about 4 crumbs in all...LOL) Well, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!!!

I learned my lesson, thats for sure...Of course nothing happened (Thank God!!) and all is well....

Just wanted to share my spastic self!!

Marie & Pacino


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## Gizmosmom (Oct 21, 2004)

If there's a chocolate in the house I eat it too quickly for anyone to even get a sniff, let alone leave it lying around for my dog to get


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## Haven (Sep 22, 2005)

> Although I think I will stick to no chocolate for Sassy it is good to know that "just in case" she should find an m&m on the floor I would not have to freak out. Thanks for the info! Sassy eats too many mommy treats so I think I will keep the chocolate for myself.
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My thoughts exactly. Great article by the way.


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## *tink's*mommy (Aug 15, 2005)

I remember my sister's 6 lb. Yorkshire Terrier got into a small box of Godiva Valentine candy that she had given her kids. Not sure if it was 1/2 lb. or a whole lb. box but, he ate the whole box! He vomited and had diarreah for a whole day. He didn't learn from this and managed to get into another box the next Christmas. Same thing happened, luckily he survived!

I make sure not to let *TINK* get near chocolate. I am sure she would eat a whole box, too. She is a little piggy.


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