Chocolate Toxicity for Dogs

While chocolate is a treat many humans would die for, dogs can actually die if they injest it.The roasted seeds chocolate is made of contain ingredients that are deadly to dogs. Theobromine and caffiene are the two ingredients that are responsible for this.

There are symptoms dogs owners should look out for if their dog inadvertently eats chocolate. The symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting, a high body temperature, more reflex responses, quick breathing, rigid muscles, lower than normal blood pressure and even seizures.

Different types of chocolate have different effects on a dog. A mere 0.7 ounces of milk chocolate per pound in a dog’s body is enough to be mildly toxic to them. If they injest two ounces of chocolate for every pound they weigh it will be sevrely toxic to them. For example, if a 20 pound dog ingests even one pound of milk chocolate they can become very sick as a result.

Semi-sweet chocolate is more dangerous for dogs than milk chocolate is. With 0.3 ounces of chocolate consumed for every pound they weigh, the amount is mildly toxic to them. If a dog consumes an ounce of semi-sweet chocolate for every pound they weigh this amount is severly toxic to them.

Baking chocolate is the most dangerous type of chocolate for a dog to consume. If a 20 pound dog eats even two squares of baking chocolate weighing one ounce each it can have deadly effects on them.

Anything that contains chocolate is harmful to dogs. If they ingest enough of it, chocolate can kill any dog, regardless of their size. Any dog that ingests chocolate should be examined by a vet immediately. If the theobromine is removed from a dog’s body quickly enough they are likely to survive.

Though some fancy dog treats use as small amount of chocolate in them many dog treats are made with carob, which is simply a substitute for chocolate that is safe for dogs to injest. Applied to a dog bone it looks like real chocolate but it is not deadly to man’s best friend.

Leave a Reply