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VCA Specialty Advanced Care For Pets
VCA Animal HospitalsVCA Quality CarePet Care Pet Health InformationPet AdoptionLocationsNews
Chocolate Poisoning for Dogs
329 Print
I've heard that chocolate is toxic to dogs? Is this true?
Yes, chocolate is toxic to dogs. While rarely fatal, chocolate ingestion often results in significant illness. Chocolate is toxic because it contains the methylxanthine theobromine. Theobromine is similar to caffeine and is used medicinally as a diuretic, heart stimulant, blood vessel dilator, and a smooth muscle relaxant. Theobromine can be poisonous and result in severe clinical signs, especially if untreated.
How much chocolate is poisonous to a dog?
Toxic doses of theobromine are reported to be as low as 20 mg/kg, where agitation, hyperactivity and gastrointestinal signs (such as drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea - all which may smell like chocolate) can be seen. At doses > 40 mg/kg, cardiac signs can be seen, and include a racing heart rate, high blood pressure, or even heart arrhythmias. At doses > 60 mg/kg, neurologic signs can be seen, and include tremors, twitching, and even seizures. Fatalities have been seen at around 200 mg/kg (approximately 100 mg/lb), or when complications occur."The amount of toxic theobromine varies with the type of chocolate."The amount of toxic theobromine varies with the type of chocolate. The darker and the more bitter the chocolate, the more dangerous it is to your pets. Cooking or baking chocolate and high quality dark chocolate contains between 130-450 mg of theobromine per ounce of the product, while common milk chocolate only contains about 44-58 mg/ounce. White chocolate barely poses any threat of chocolate poisoning, with only 0.25 mg of theobromine per ounce of chocolate (that said, dogs can still get sick from all that fat and sugar, resulting in pancreatitis!). This means that for a medium size dog, weighing 50 pounds it would take only 1 ounce of baker's chocolate or 8 ounces of milk chocolate to potentially show signs of poisoning.If your pet is showing these symptoms do not wait for symptoms to get worse. It's better to contact your local VCA Veterinarian. We offer a free first exam*for new clients.
What are the clinical signs of chocolate poisoning?
Clinical signs depend on the amount and type of chocolate ingested. For many dogs, the most common clinical signs are vomiting and diarrhea, increased thirst, panting or restlessness, excessive urination, a racing heart rate, muscle spasms (tremors), and occasionally seizures. In older pets that eat a large amount of high quality dark or baking chocolate, sudden death from cardiac arrest may occur, especially in dogs with preexisting heart disease. Complications (such as developing aspiration pneumonia from vomiting) can make the prognosis for chocolate poisoning worse. When in doubt, immediate treatment by your veterinarian is warranted if a poisonous amount of chocolate is ingested."Clinical signs of chocolate poisoning can take hours to develop and last for days."Clinical signs of chocolate poisoning can take several hours to develop, and even longer to go away. Clinical signs of chocolate poisoning can last for days, due to the long half-life of theobromine. The theobromine can even be re-absorbed from the bladder, so aggressive IV fluids and frequent walks may be necessary. It is important to seek medical attention by calling your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline* as soon as you suspect that your dog has eaten chocolate.
VCA Animal HospitalsVCA Quality CarePet Care Pet Health InformationPet AdoptionLocationsNews
Chocolate Poisoning for Dogs
329 Print
I've heard that chocolate is toxic to dogs? Is this true?
Yes, chocolate is toxic to dogs. While rarely fatal, chocolate ingestion often results in significant illness. Chocolate is toxic because it contains the methylxanthine theobromine. Theobromine is similar to caffeine and is used medicinally as a diuretic, heart stimulant, blood vessel dilator, and a smooth muscle relaxant. Theobromine can be poisonous and result in severe clinical signs, especially if untreated.
How much chocolate is poisonous to a dog?
Toxic doses of theobromine are reported to be as low as 20 mg/kg, where agitation, hyperactivity and gastrointestinal signs (such as drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea - all which may smell like chocolate) can be seen. At doses > 40 mg/kg, cardiac signs can be seen, and include a racing heart rate, high blood pressure, or even heart arrhythmias. At doses > 60 mg/kg, neurologic signs can be seen, and include tremors, twitching, and even seizures. Fatalities have been seen at around 200 mg/kg (approximately 100 mg/lb), or when complications occur."The amount of toxic theobromine varies with the type of chocolate."The amount of toxic theobromine varies with the type of chocolate. The darker and the more bitter the chocolate, the more dangerous it is to your pets. Cooking or baking chocolate and high quality dark chocolate contains between 130-450 mg of theobromine per ounce of the product, while common milk chocolate only contains about 44-58 mg/ounce. White chocolate barely poses any threat of chocolate poisoning, with only 0.25 mg of theobromine per ounce of chocolate (that said, dogs can still get sick from all that fat and sugar, resulting in pancreatitis!). This means that for a medium size dog, weighing 50 pounds it would take only 1 ounce of baker's chocolate or 8 ounces of milk chocolate to potentially show signs of poisoning.If your pet is showing these symptoms do not wait for symptoms to get worse. It's better to contact your local VCA Veterinarian. We offer a free first exam*for new clients.
What are the clinical signs of chocolate poisoning?
Clinical signs depend on the amount and type of chocolate ingested. For many dogs, the most common clinical signs are vomiting and diarrhea, increased thirst, panting or restlessness, excessive urination, a racing heart rate, muscle spasms (tremors), and occasionally seizures. In older pets that eat a large amount of high quality dark or baking chocolate, sudden death from cardiac arrest may occur, especially in dogs with preexisting heart disease. Complications (such as developing aspiration pneumonia from vomiting) can make the prognosis for chocolate poisoning worse. When in doubt, immediate treatment by your veterinarian is warranted if a poisonous amount of chocolate is ingested."Clinical signs of chocolate poisoning can take hours to develop and last for days."Clinical signs of chocolate poisoning can take several hours to develop, and even longer to go away. Clinical signs of chocolate poisoning can last for days, due to the long half-life of theobromine. The theobromine can even be re-absorbed from the bladder, so aggressive IV fluids and frequent walks may be necessary. It is important to seek medical attention by calling your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline* as soon as you suspect that your dog has eaten chocolate.
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Chocolate contains cocoa and cocoa contains the compound theobromine. Theobromine is toxic to dogs and other pets at certain doses. Chocolate poisoning is a problem that occurs mainly in dogs but also occurs occasionally in cats or other animals.
The concentration of theobromine varies depending on the type of chocolate. For example, cocoa powder, baking chocolate and dark chocolate contain higher levels of theobromine compared to milk chocolate.
The toxicity of theobromine is dose-related, meaning that the overall effect of chocolate ingestion on the dog depends on the size of the dog, the amount of chocolate eaten and the type of chocolate eaten.
Why is chocolate toxic to dogs and other pets? - RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
LOL!!! lived long and happy lives ^^
Yeah, a bit of choccolate its okay i think (not causing toxic effect from the caffeine).. but but but.. can you resist when they stare at you with their puppy eyes and beg you to give them more and more?? lol..
If they were stare at me i admit i couldn't resist ~ thats why i have overweight cats T_T
But well, its nice to hear that your dog is fine ^^
Yeah, a bit of choccolate its okay i think (not causing toxic effect from the caffeine).. but but but.. can you resist when they stare at you with their puppy eyes and beg you to give them more and more?? lol..
If they were stare at me i admit i couldn't resist ~ thats why i have overweight cats T_T
But well, its nice to hear that your dog is fine ^^
I saw a bug with a million legs in the kitchen sink when I was rinsing my cup, and I tried to point the water from the faucet at it, and then I got the spraying thing and pointed it at the bug and let it spray and said, "God, please let it drown."
And now I realize, that was probably the meanest prayer ever...
It drowned though. Then I hit it a few times with the fly swatter while it was underwater just for good measure. But the body is still in the sink...too creeped out to get it and throw it away.
And now I realize, that was probably the meanest prayer ever...
It drowned though. Then I hit it a few times with the fly swatter while it was underwater just for good measure. But the body is still in the sink...too creeped out to get it and throw it away.
Or it should function like a supermarket check-out line. Except instead of putting your groceries on the table you get on the table - CRACK - "Next!"
M
I never thought I'd be excited to have my very own dumpster. Yet, here I am, after five years of living without such a convenience, and we're getting a dumpster delivered to our house by the county soon, and it. is. a. relief.
When we first moved here, we were taking bags of trash into town to our parents, who let us use their trash cans. We couldn't afford the 150 dollars per quarter to get a key for the dump out here. And then, for a while after we had our first baby, my father-in-law offered to haul our trash, but he did it only every few weeks, and we had no place to store it besides the old wood shed...which attracted skunks and stray cats like crazy. Thennnnn my father-in-law offered to split the cost of having a key for the dump, and we also had a truck by then, so we could haul trash once a week. Except after six months, we ended up paying the bill on our own, and also frequently hauling *ahem* someone else's trash for them.
There's also still the issue of stray cats tearing apart the bags in the back of the truck, no matter how well it was covered, no matter how much I tried to make sure to rinse packages and containers and keep food scraps out of it.
So then a few months ago when our neighbors moved in, we noticed that they have a dumpster. People from out here kept telling us that the county wouldn't give people dumpsters at their houses, so we thought this one must have been like...I dunno, temporary, for use while they remodeled next door or something. But the longer it was there, the more we thought HEY, why don't WE get one?
So we are. And it's awesome. The end.
...we're totally kicking ourselves for not having found out about this when our kids were still in diapers.
And yes, I know this is a weird thing to be this grateful for.
When we first moved here, we were taking bags of trash into town to our parents, who let us use their trash cans. We couldn't afford the 150 dollars per quarter to get a key for the dump out here. And then, for a while after we had our first baby, my father-in-law offered to haul our trash, but he did it only every few weeks, and we had no place to store it besides the old wood shed...which attracted skunks and stray cats like crazy. Thennnnn my father-in-law offered to split the cost of having a key for the dump, and we also had a truck by then, so we could haul trash once a week. Except after six months, we ended up paying the bill on our own, and also frequently hauling *ahem* someone else's trash for them.
There's also still the issue of stray cats tearing apart the bags in the back of the truck, no matter how well it was covered, no matter how much I tried to make sure to rinse packages and containers and keep food scraps out of it.
So then a few months ago when our neighbors moved in, we noticed that they have a dumpster. People from out here kept telling us that the county wouldn't give people dumpsters at their houses, so we thought this one must have been like...I dunno, temporary, for use while they remodeled next door or something. But the longer it was there, the more we thought HEY, why don't WE get one?
So we are. And it's awesome. The end.
...we're totally kicking ourselves for not having found out about this when our kids were still in diapers.
And yes, I know this is a weird thing to be this grateful for.
