I have a 20 lb. dog & my friends little boy fed her a chocolate chip cookie tonight I called the vet & they?

Question

-The vet said over the phone that she should be ok but she is my little baby & I wanna be sure that they are right, I want to make sure its not enough chocolate to make her sick but I was reading online that it can take 24 hours to make her sick or for it to be fatal. Its been about 3 hours & I mean she seems fine but i just wanna be sure & see if this has happened to anyone else. I was so upset that this even happened but he is a little boy & didnt realize & by the time we caught him she had ate it already. Lik I said it was just one chocolate chip cookie and she is a 20 lb. Pug/beagle mix. Thanks!

Answer 1

don't worry, keep a close eye on your dog for the next day, but in general one little cookie isn't enough to harm a dog. my dog has gotten into far more trouble than that and was fine.

Answer 2

one chocalate chip cookie should not hurt your dog. I do not suggest giving anymore but it will take more chocolate than that to be toxic to your dog.The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. This is a xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine, and theophylline.

Toxic Levels

The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider like the individual sensitivity, animal size and chocolate concentration.

On average,
Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per oz.
Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz.
Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz.

Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as:
1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate.

So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems.

Clinical Signs

Xanthines affect the nervous system, cardiovascular system and peripheral nerves. It has a diuretic effect as well. Clinical signs:

Hyper excitability
Hyper irritability
Increased heart rate
Restlessness
Increased urination
Muscle tremors
Vomiting
Diarrhea

Treatment

There is no specific antidote for this poisoning. And the half life of the toxin is 17.5 hours in dogs. Induce vomiting in the first 1-2 hours if the quantity is unknown. Administering activated charcoal may inhibit absorption of the toxin. An anticonvulsant might be indicated if neurological signs are present and needs to be controlled. Oxygen therapy, intravenous medications, and fluids might be needed to protect the heart.

Milk chocolate will often cause diarrhea 12-24 hours after ingestion. This should be treated symptomatically (fluids, etc..) to prevent dehydration.

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Answer 3

I certainly understand your concern and worry. I think your dog will be just fine. While chocolate is deadly to dogs, I don't think one chocolate chip cookie will kill him. If you were giving this to your dog on a daily basis then - yes - it would be a bad thing! The general rule, too, is the darker the chocolate, the more damage. A choclate chip cookie is much better than a chocolate bar - neither is good but I think you are safe this time! Good Luck

Answer 4

she should be fine many dogs eat chocolate i had a border collie who used to steal it. i have seen dogs get into all sorts of food which they probably shouldn't and not had any harm done but just keep a close eye on her if anything seems out of the ordinary take her to the vet. the reason dogs can't eat chocolate is that they are lactose intolerant the symptoms are roughly the same as in people so don't panic some dogs are more sensitive than others yours should be fine

Answer 5

I understand your concern, and it is great that you care about her this much, and that you know that chocolate is dangerous...

*But*, I'm guessing that she'll be okay... Keep an eye on her, but it was most likely a very small amount of milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate that she ingested. At the amount of chocolate in a normal cookie, it would take some *serious* dark or baker's chocolate to do her any immediate harm... The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. I'll see if I can't find that list for you... Back in a minute!

Edit: Here's one...

"The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. This is a xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine, and theophylline.

Toxic Levels

The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider like the individual sensitivity, animal size and chocolate concentration.

On average,
Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per oz.
Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz.
Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz.

Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as:
1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate.

So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems. "

For the rest of this article, go here: http://www.talktothevet.com/ARTICLES/DOGS/chocolatetoxic.HTM


EDIT again: It was called to my attention that I failed to point out that certain dogs can have a special sensitivity to chocolate, and you should certainly not take this lightly. It is mentioned in the above article, but I thought I had better point it out...

As I said, keep an eye on her, and don't be afraid to take her in if you feel she should be seen!

Best of luck!

Answer 6

If that were true, my dogs would have been dead years ago. One cookie is not going to hurt your dog. We call ours the vacuum cleaners- nothing misses their snoots!

It has to be a larger amount, and generally the "baked" chocolate will probably never be in an amount large enough to kill. A bowl of Hersey Kisses on the other hand might be enough for a small dog like yours.

Answer 7

You are worrying for nothing. I'm surprised that your vet did not tell you that it is baker's chocolate that will kill a dog, not chocolate. Big difference. You know, those squares you buy for baking homemade things? That is toxic to dogs, and birds, as well. A half a Hershey bar or a cookie is not gonna kill her, honest! I love you for caring so much. But the worst it'll do is make her fat, or addicted to cookies. Where were you on line? I want to check it out. Relax, my dog ate an entire pan of homemade chocolate brownies I baked when my in-laws were coming for dinner that night!! The only thing that happened to him was mommy was so pissed off at him that he didn't get their steak bones afterwards!!!

Answer 8

You are right to call the vet. As long as it was not that much chocolate your baby should be just fine. Though do continue watching her until you are positive that she is ok you might can still take her to the vet to be sure but I wouldn't go that far.

Answer 9

The dog should be just fine. It takes more than what is in one chocolate chip cookie to hurt the animal. Besides, unless they were pretty expensive cookies, there isn't much actual chocolate in them!

Answer 10

If a 13 pound poodle can eat 5 pounds of M&M's while her owners are gone a few chips probably won't hurt. The poodle only got diahrea just watch your dog she should be fine if she was going to have allergic reaction it would've been immediate.