How much chocolate does it take to kill a dog??

Question

I have a labrador retriever and while I was outside, she got into some chocolate that was hidden in my room. It was a tube of the small reese cups. I'm guessing there must have been at least 15 of them. She ate the whole thing, including the plastic. Its been about 2 hours and she doesn't seem to be sick...I'm scared that it might kill her? She's 10 years old...and has eaten all sorts of things including a pack of tea light candles..and has never bothered her.

She weighs about 100 lbs, she's big for her size.

Answer 1

A lab is a big dog and reese's cups have a little milk chocolate. While chocolate is harmful it depends on the size of the dog, the amount eaten and the type. milk chocolate is the least dangerous. I would be more concerned about the plastic tube. There could be sharp pieces cutting up her insides. The plastic could cause a blockage. I would at the least contact a vet and ask their advice.

Answer 2

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RE:
How much chocolate does it take to kill a dog??
I have a labrador retriever and while I was outside, she got into some chocolate that was hidden in my room. It was a tube of the small reese cups. I'm guessing there must have been at least 15 of them. She ate the whole thing, including the plastic. Its been about 2 hours and she doesn't...

Answer 3

All chocolate has a chemical powder in it called theobromine. Theobromine is a colorless powder that is similar to caffiene. You don't have to worry as much about dogs consuming white or milk chocolate. The darker baking chocolates are the ones you have to worry about. But even then, a dog would have to consume a large amount of chocolate for it's size. Dogs do not have the enzymes to digest theobromine so that is why it is hard for them to process it in their bodies. If you are a cat owner, you do not have to worry. Cats have no sweet taste receptors, so they don't go after sweet foods like dogs do. So keep chocolate out of reach of dogs, but if they do ingest some don't panic. IF you catch them eating it, give them a tablespoon of salt and put them outside. They will throw it all up in 5 minutes.

Answer 4

It takes quite a bit of chocolate to kill a dog. Milk chocolate is less harmful than dark chocolate. Your dog will probably have diarrhea for a day or so. Call a vet and tell them how much your dog weighs and how much he ate. They will tell you if he needs his stomach pumped or if it is safe.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

It depends on the size of the dog. Fortunately, a lab retriever is a larger breed so it would take more than for say a toy poodle, but certainly the amount you describe might make her sick. At least with the Reeces they have peanut butter in the center so its not all chocolate in there but I still think you should take her to the vet and have her checked out right away!

Answer 7

It takes a lot of chocolate to kill a dog. Take the dog to the vet to get her system flushed out ASAP. I might be mistaken, but I think they give the dog a spoonful of salt water to induce vomiting and then they give them a Vitamin K shot. Anyway, let the vet take care of that. Chocolate poisoning in dogs is similar to lead poisoning in people . . . its a slow type of poisoning as opposed to cyanide that kills immediately.

Answer 8

i don't know what reese cups are, but if they are only small chocolates it won't kill her. she will probably get sick, put her outside and encourage her to eat grass....this will make her vomit and get it out of her system. give her plenty of fresh water to drink. i had my dog for 17 years......i fed her chocolate for the first 5 (as i was only a kid then and didn't know any better) and she lived to 17!! and i reckon i have a good memory of giving her like 10 mini easter eggs all at once when i was like 6 and she was fine! if in doubt call the vet, or take your doggy to the vet......but i would say she will be ok. still no harm calling the vet to put your mind at ease....cos otherwise you will spend the whole day freaking out!

Answer 9

A Quick search resulted in the following:

You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there's increased absorption of the toxic substance, you'll see an increase in the dog's heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting.

This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.

If a 50-pound dog eats a teaspoonful of milk chocolate, it's not going to cause serious problems. However, if that same dog gorges himself on a two-layer chocolate cake, his stomach will feel more than upset and soon it's likely he'll be vomiting or experiencing diarrhea.

The health and age of your dog must be considered. Obviously if your dog is aged and not in top shape, his reaction to a plate of chocolate is going to be different from a young healthy dog of the same weight.

Another fact that must be considered is this: Not all chocolate is the same. Some has a small amount of theobromine; another type has a large amount and still another contains an amount that is somewhere in between. The quantity has a relationship with the weight of your dog. Small dogs can be poisoned, it is easy to understand, from smaller amounts of theobromine than large dogs.


Sounds like your babe will be ok...especially considering that the cups are more peanut butter than chocolate....but you should probably hide your chocolate better.,

Here are a few other chocolates for you to ponder: hot chocolate, 12 mg of theobromine per ounce; milk chocolate, 60 mg/oz; and up there near baking chocolate: semi-sweet chocolate with 260 mg/oz.

Knowing which chocolate is the most toxic is important, but leaves one wondering how much must be eaten to poison a dog.


White chocolate: 200 ounces per pound of body weight. It takes 250 pounds of white chocolate to cause signs of poisoning in a 20-pound dog, 125 pounds for a 10-pound dog.
Milk chocolate: 1 ounce per pound of body weight. Approximately one pound of milk chocolate is poisonous to a 20-pound dog; one-half pound for a 10-pound dog. The average chocolate bar contains 2 to 3 ounces of milk chocolate. It would take 2-3 candy bars to poison a 10 pound dog. Semi-sweet chocolate has a similar toxic level.
Sweet cocoa: 0.3 ounces per pound of body weight. One-third of a pound of sweet cocoa is toxic to a 20-pound dog; 1/6 pound for a 10-pound dog.
Baking chocolate: 0.1 ounce per pound body weight. Two one-ounce squares of bakers' chocolate is toxic to a 20-pound dog; one ounce for a 10-pound dog.

Answer 10

I had a friend whose dog ate a whole box of truffles he was fine., Milk chocolate is not really that bad, its the dark chocolate that you have to watch out for.