Every dog owner knows this as a strict rule – don’t give chocolate to your pet. But sometimes our furry friends can be sneaky enough to sniff out the location of hidden sweets and steal some. That is why it is necessary to keep a home dog camera. But the question is how much chocolate will kill a dog? Then you can’t reverse what happened.
However, there is no need for panic. Yes, chocolate is poisonous for dogs. But it depends on the size of your pet, the amount of chocolate, and the kind of chocolate.
Remember that even though smaller amounts won’t kill your pup, you must never give chocolate to your dog! You need to know how much chocolate is okay for your pet. This is only to understand what to do when an accident happens.
How Much Chocolate Can Your Dog Eat Without Consequences?
Theobromine is the reason why pups can’t eat chocolate. Dogs can’t digest theobromine that our favorite treat contains. Usually, your pet will exhibit symptoms of poisoning after consuming 20 mg of theobromine for every kilogram of their weight. The symptoms become more serious and lethal at 40-50 mg per kilogram.
If your dog ate 3.5g of dark chocolate or 14g of milk chocolate for every kilogram of its weight, it needs immediate treatment. To make it easier for you to determine if you need to rush to the vet, here are the dangerous amounts of chocolate for different breeds.
- Toy (ex. Yorkshire Terrier) – 3-4 kg – 27g of milk chocolate or 11g of dark chocolate.
- Small (ex. Jack Russel) – 6-8 kg – 53g of milk chocolate or 22g of dark chocolate.
- Medium (ex. Springer Spaniel) – 16-23 kg – 140g of milk chocolate or 58g of dark chocolate.
- Large (ex. Labrador Retriever) – 30-35 kg – 261g of milk chocolate or 109g of dark chocolate.
- Giant (ex. Mastiff) – 57-89 kg – 496g of milk chocolate or 206g of dark chocolate.
What are the symptoms of chocolate poisoning?
If your dog consumed a dangerous amount of chocolate, it would begin showing the signs between 4 and 24 hours after eating the treat. The symptoms include:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Rapid breathing
- Restlessness
- Seizures
If your dog ate a dangerous amount of chocolate, you need to provide it with urgent treatment. Rush to the doctor as soon as possible. Every minute counts now!
There are certain things you can do at home, like making your dog vomit. But we strongly advise going to the vet.
How to make sure your pet doesn’t eat chocolate?
You shouldn’t even offer it to your pup. It must never be used as a treat or reward. Even though small amounts of milk chocolate are safe, animals don’t deal well with sugar. So if you want to give something to your dog, stick to the meat or other foods that are safe for pups.
Besides that, make sure you store chocolate in a place your dog can’t reach. Don’t underestimate its powers! When pups are eager to get something, they will do everything for it. So find a place that is beyond the reach of your pet.
Also, you can train your dog to leave things. Then if you see that it has stolen the chocolate, you can command it to leave it. Think of any possible situation when chocolate can appear in the mouth of your dog and do everything you can to prevent this from happening.
