Chocolate Toxicity

Chocolate is found in many of the foods we eat, including chocolate candy, ice cream, chocolate drinks, chocolate cakes and pastries. We may be tempted to share our favorite treat with our pets, but chocolate is toxic to pets.

Chocolate is made from the bitter seeds of the cocao plant. These seeds have a large amount of theobromine and caffeine that causes methylxanthine poisoning. The more chocolate liquor, the more theobromine is present. This makes baking chocolate the most toxic, followed by semisweet, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate.

Typically, the darker the chocolate, the higher the potential for clinical problems from methylxanthine poisoning. White chocolate has the lowest methylxanthine content, while baking chocolate contains the highest. As little as 20 ounces of milk chocolate, or only two ounces of baking chocolate can cause serious problems in a 10-pound dog. While white chocolate may not have the same potential as darker forms to cause toxicity, the high fat content of lighter chocolates could still lead to vomiting and diarrhea, as well as the possible development of life-threatening pancreatitis, an inflammatory condition of the pancreas.

Theobromine found in chocolate causes:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Hyperactivity
• Tremors
• Seizures
• Racing heart rhythm progressing to abnormal rhythms
• Death in severe cases

If you witness your dog eating chocolate or if it shows any signs of chocolate toxicity (anxiety, pacing, hyper-excitability, excessive thirst and urination, vomiting, or seizures): call your vet immediately and give him the following information:

1. The type of chocolate your pet ate.
2. How much you think your pet ate.
3. How long ago your pet ate the chocolate.
4. How much your dog weighs.

If you find your dog within a couple of hours of ingesting the chocolate, it may be possible to induce vomiting at the veterinary clinic. If more than a couple of hours have passed, the toxin will already be circulating in your dog's system. You will need to bring your pet to the veterinary clinic for supportive therapy (such as intravenous fluids, charcoal to coat the stomach and slow the absorption of theobromine, and/or medication to control hyper-excitability and seizures). It can take up to 3-4 days for the effects of chocolate to work its way out of a dog’s system.

Below is a chart that can be used as a guideline for chocolate toxicity (provided by City of Angels Veterinary Complex)