How Much Chocolate Can Your Pup Truly Eat? When Does It Become Toxic?

As the holidays approach, it is important to remind everyone that chocolate is toxic to pets.

Sadly, the number of pets that are poisoned each year by chocolate spikes at the end of October because people have so much Halloween candy around the house. The chemical in chocolate that it is toxic to our fur babies is called theobromine. A trace amount can cause stomach discomfort, a large amount will cause serious discomfort and may even be deadly!

Dr. Jennifer Maniet, the on-staff veterinarian at Petplan, and insurance company said that the severity of your pet’s symptoms will vary and depends on how much chocolate they ingested, what kind of chocolate it was, and their weight. Baking chocolate has the most theobromine per ounce (450 milligrams per ounce) and is the worst for dogs.

Dark chocolate is next with 160 mg/oz of theobromine, last is milk chocolate with only 64 mg/oz. To calculate the chocolate toxicity, multiply the ounces eaten by the milligrams of theobromine in an ounce. Then divide that number by the weight of your pet.

If the number is close to 20, your pet is in serious trouble, and you should get them to a vet as soon as possible! Even if the number you find is low, your pet still may have intestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or hyperactivity) from the dairy and sugar content. Please spread the word about the dangers of chocolate. Keep all candy away from your dog, and tell your children not to give the dog chocolate!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay