Ahh, chocolate. If you’re like most people, it’s probably one of your favorite foods to eat. And why not? Chocolate is delicious and harmless for humans. But can dogs eat chocolate too? Absolutely not – chocolate can be deadly for our furry friends! So find out everything you need to know about chocolate poisoning in dogs and what to do in case your dog eats chocolate. And while you’re here, learn more about common foods that are actually toxic to dogs or the number one way to keep your dog safe.
Can dogs eat chocolate?
In short, no – it is not safe to feed your dog chocolate under any circumstances. If your dog eats chocolate, they may suffer potentially fatal consequences – so be sure to keep all chocolate away from your dog.
Why can’t dogs eat chocolate?
The reason why dogs can’t eat chocolate is because it contain substances that are toxic to dogs if ingested. Specifically, chocolate contains theobromine, a natural substance found in the cocoa bean. Theobromine is not pretty much harmless for us humans. We would have to eat an extremely high dose of chocolate (no, that’s not a challenge!) and even then, we would only get a mild poisoning . For dogs, however, it is easier to eat enough chocolate to get poisoned.
How much chocolate can a dog eat?
Again, the amount of chocolate your dog eats should ideally be zero. If somehow, your dog does manage to eat chocolate, a small amount (like a bite of your cookie) may not be dangerous or fatal. It all depends on the following factors:
- type of chocolate
- how much they’ve had to eat
- your dog’s size
Dark chocolate, cocoa and baking chocolate contain the highest levels of theobromine, the substance which is toxic to dogs. So even just a small amount of these chocolates could seriously poison your dog. White chocolate and milk chocolate, meanwhile, contain a smaller amount of theobromine and therefore may be less toxic. Even so, they are not safe to feed your dog under any circumstances.
Less than one ounce of dark chocolate could be enough to poison a 44 pound dog, according to Hills Pet.
What happens if a dog eats chocolate?
As we mentioned, chocolate poisoning in dogs could potentially be fatal – your favorite sweet could actually kill your dog. Understandably, this is any dog lover’s worst nightmare, so teasing your dog with chocolate is not a good idea. If your dog eats chocolate, they may suffer the following consequences:
