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My dog ate chocolate - is chocolate poisonous?
Chocolate: While the occasional chocolate chip within one cookie may not be an issue, we worry about certain types of chocolate – the less sweet and the darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is to your pet. Baker’s chocolate and dark chocolate pose the biggest problem. Other sources include chewable, flavored multi-vitamins, baked goods, or chocolate-covered espresso beans. The chemical toxicity is due to a methylxanthine (like theobromine), and results in vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, inflammation of the pancreas (i.e., pancreatitis), an abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and rarely, even death. Dogs make up 95% of all our chocolate calls, as cats are usually too discriminating to eat chocolate! In smaller dogs, even the wrappers from candy can result in a secondary obstruction in the stomach or intestines.
| Product |
Theobromine |
Caffeine |
| White chocolate |
0.25 mg/oz |
0.85 mg/oz |
| Milk chocolate |
44-60 mg/oz |
6 mg/oz |
| Dark semisweet |
135 mg/oz |
20 mg/oz |
| Unsweetened baker’s chocolate |
390-450 mg/oz |
47 mg/oz |
| Dry cocoa powder |
400-737 mg/oz |
70 mg/oz |
| Cocoa beans |
300-1500 mg/oz |
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| Cocoa bean mulch |
56-900 mg/oz |
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