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The dog ate chocolate. Is it serious?
It depends on three things: how much he weighs, which chocolate it was and how many grams. Do the sum here — and call us either way, because sensitivity varies from animal to animal.
The calculation
mg of theobromine per kilo of body weight · 20 mild signs · 40 cardiac effects · 60 seizures
| White chocolate | 0.04 mg/g |
|---|---|
| Milk chocolate | 2.3 mg/g |
| Dark / semi-sweet | 5.5 mg/g |
| Baking, unsweetened | 15.5 mg/g |
| Cocoa powder | 28.5 mg/g |
Why it does harm
We clear theobromine in hours. He takes almost a day.
Theobromine is a cousin of caffeine. The human liver deals with it quickly; a dog’s does not. It builds up, speeds the heart, raises blood pressure, takes away sleep and, in high doses, causes seizures.
That is why the same bar is a fright in a labrador and an emergency in a yorkshire — and why the sum is done in milligrams per kilo rather than in squares.
There is one more thing the sum does not measure: fat and sugar. Even below the theobromine threshold, a large amount of chocolate causes vomiting, diarrhoea and, in susceptible dogs, pancreatitis.
What to do while you are on your way
- Call21 581 3418 (Lisbon) or 21 807 9455 (Corroios). Give the weight, the type of chocolate and the time he ate it
- KeepThe wrapper, or whatever is left. The cocoa percentage is printed on it
- TimingSay when he ate it: the sooner you act, the more options there are
- Do notDo not make him vomit without a vet telling you to
- Watch forRestlessness, tremors, vomiting, excessive thirst, excessive urination, a racing heart
Where these numbers come from
The sum is not an opinion.
The thresholds used here are the current veterinary ones: mild signs — vomiting, diarrhoea, thirst — from 20 mg/kg; effects on the heart between 40 and 50 mg/kg; risk of seizures from 60 mg/kg.
The theobromine figures per gram are averages by product type. A particular bar may carry more or less, depending on its cocoa percentage — which is why the wrapper is worth more than any estimate.
PetDoctors had already written about this: “Is chocolate really toxic to dogs?”, on the clinic’s blog. What this page adds is the arithmetic — the same subject, with your dog’s weight inside it.
PetDoctors blog, 2023This page is a help for deciding quickly. It does not replace examination of the animal by a veterinary surgeon.
If you are reading this at eleven at night
Call first. Explain afterwards.
Within opening hours, call Lisbon or Corroios. Outside them, go to an emergency veterinary service.
Corroios: 21 807 9455
Thresholds: 20 · 40 · 60 mg/kg · 5 types of chocolate