Clinical signs depend on the amount and type of chocolate ingested. For many dogs, the most common clinical signs are vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, panting or restlessness, excessive urination, and racing heart rate. In severe cases, symptoms can include muscle tremors, seizures, and heart failure.
Dark Chocolate: Use a scale of 1.5 ounces per 10 pounds of body weight. That's 3 ounces for a 20 pound dog. If they've ingested that much or more, it's time to call your vet. Milk Chocolate or Semi-sweet: A poisonous amount would be anything over 3.5 ounces- a standard size Hershey's bar- for a small 10 pound dog.
It can take 6 to 12 hours for symptoms of chocolate poisoning to appear in your dog. So, if you already know your dog's eaten chocolate, don't wait for any of the above symptoms to appear, call your vet. If it's after hours and your veterinarian's clinic is, call a local emergency vet.
What to Do if Your Dog Ate Chocolate. If you believe your dog has eaten chocolate, call your veterinarian immediately or call the Pet Poison Helpline (855-213-6680) for advice. Note that if your vet is not open, some services provide live chat and video options to connect you with a vet.
The outlook very much depends on how much chocolate or cocoa powder that the dog has eaten, and how long prior to being seen by the vet that the dog ate it. Experience shows that up to 50% of dogs will die if treatment is delayed until severe, persistent vomiting has developed.
The sugar levels in chocolate can cause an upset stomach and diarrhea in your dog as well. One piece of chocolate should not harm your dog, but multiple pieces can harm your dog. Clinical signs depend on how much and the type of chocolate ingested.
No. Milk is unlikely to be helpful in the vast majority of poisoning situations and can sometimes make things worse. Most pets are lactose intolerant and giving milk can cause or worsen stomach upset symptoms.
If you know your dog has consumed chocolate, call your vet and get your dog treated as soon as possible. The first step is to induce vomiting and give multiple doses of activated charcoal to decontaminate. If needed, your pet will be given IV fluids, and sedatives may be given to keep your pet calm.
Affected dogs show signs 30 minutes to 4 hours after ingesting the poison. Initially affected dogs become anxious and have an elevated body temperature. Panting is usually seen. Progressively they become worse and staggery.
Get 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
If your dog eats chocolate, the first thing you need to do is contact your veterinarian. They will likely tell you to make the dog vomit to get the chocolate out of his digestive system. You can use 3% hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting in dogs.
Seizures are one of the most severe symptoms of extreme chocolate toxicity in dogs. This may only occur when a dog has ingested a large quantity of chocolate, but it can sometimes mean the toxicity will become fatal without veterinary treatment.
Recovery can be complete and prognosis good if caught and treated early (within 2 hours of ingestion). Chocolate poisoning can be lethal at high doses. Always keep chocolate out of reach of your pet.
approximately 60 grams of milk chocolate per kg bodyweight. approximately 20 grams of semi-sweet chocolate per kg body weight.
Some dogs can eat chocolate and then appear perfectly fine. “If a dog ingests chocolate and does not show clinical signs, it's simply because they did not ingest an amount of methylxanthines [the active ingredients in caffeine] high enough to cross the toxic threshold,” says Harris.
One of the most common treatment options for poisoning in dogs is inducing vomiting. Other treatment may include medication to reduce pain and symptoms, overnight monitoring, or IV's for flushing out the toxins in the system. The cost of treatment can vary from $250 to $5,000.
If your pet has ingested a poison, try to rinse or wipe out the mouth with a damp towel/flannel. Do not give your pet anything to eat or drink before speaking with the Animal Poisons Helpline or a vet.
Typically, mild cases of poisoning have high recovery rates. In severe poisoning cases or cases where treatment was delayed the chance of recovery is extremely low. When pets do recover from severe poisoning there can also be long-term damage to their overall health.
A small amount of chocolate ingestion might produce only a bit of vomiting or diarrhea, but large amount can cause seizures and even death. Chocolate poisoning in dogs is serious.
Threat to pets
It's the dose that makes the poison! Pets that ingest a few M&Ms or 1-2 bites of a chocolate chip cookie are unlikely to develop chocolate poisoning. For milk chocolate, any ingestion of more than 0.5 ounces per pound of body weight may put dogs at risk for chocolate poisoning.
Medications such as diazepam, midazolam, acepromazine or methocarbamol are commonly utilized. Sinus tachycardia is the most common arrhythmia noted with chocolate intoxication, and if the heart rate remains high in a no longer agitated patient, a beta blocker such as propranolol may be needed.
Chocolate contains a compound called theobromine, which is toxic to dogs. Theobromine can cause vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, seizures, and even death in dogs. Milk does not contain any theobromine-neutralizing properties, so it will not prevent your dog from getting sick if they consume chocolate.
Clinical signs of poisoning in a dog may include: Gastrointestinal signs: vomiting, diarrhea, extreme salivation, loss of appetite, and nausea or dry heaving. Internal bleeding: indicated by pale gums, a racing heart, coughing up or vomiting blood, weakness or lethargy, or a dog's falling over or collapsing.