Dogs eating chocolate...?

Question

My mom put brownies in the gorage to cool down quicker. Well stupid on my moms part our dog got into it and ate about a small handful size of the brownies. they were made with bakers chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate. And he is a little over 20 pounds. Will this be enough to kill him? or even affect him?

Answer 1

Each holiday season, veterinarians witness an increase in accidental chocolate poisoning in dogs. The majority of pet owners do not realize the potential for intoxication that chocolate possesses.
Theobromine, caffeine and theophylline are all naturally occurring molecules that are found in several foods, plants, beverages and human and veterinary medications.

Based on the number of calls received by The National Animal Poison Control Center and the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, one of the most commonly encountered poisonings in pet dogs is theobromine, or chocolate, poisoning.

Theobromine comes from the plant Theobroma cocoa and is present in chocolate, cocoa beans, cocoa bean hulls, cola and tea.
Milk chocolate is obtained from seeds of theobroma cacao after fermentation and roasting. Milk chocolate has about 44 mg/ounce of theobromine; a 4.5 oz. milk chocolate bar has about 240 mgs. of theobromine. Unsweetened baking chocolate has even more -- about 390 to 450 mgs of theobromine per ounce.

Relative theobromine content per ounce for various products is:
Milk chocolate: 44 - 60 mgs/ounce
Unsweetened baking chocolate: 450 mg/oz
Cacao meal: 300 - 900 mg/oz
Cacao beans: 300 - 1200 mg/oz
Hot chocolate: 13 mg/oz

The lethal dosage of theobromine in dogs is between 250 and 500 mgs/kg, or about 2/3 to 1 1/3 of baking chocolate for every 2.2 pounds of body weight. However, serious non-fatal poisonings have been reported in dogs after eating smaller amounts.

At our practice, a 20-pound dachshund showed serious signs of poisoning after eating 3/4 of a pound of milk chocolate and another 22-pound dog died after eating two pounds of baking chocolate.

Deaths due to theobromine have been documented in horses who ate cocoa bean hulls used in bedding and in other livestock fed cocoa waste products. No chocolate poisonings have been reported in cats, which is probably a reflection of their eating habits.

The the first signs of chocolate poisoning are vomiting and diarrhea, increased urination and nausea. These can progress to cardiac arrhythmias and seizures.

Dogs definitely have a sweet tooth. Dog-proof for home to keep your dog safe. Milk chocolate should never be given to your pet and it should be kept well out of reach. Unsweetened baking chocolate should be kept in closed containers in upper, latched cupboards.

If your dog eats potentially dangerous amounts of chocolate and you can get the pet to your vet within two hours, vomiting can be induced to remove the poison. If longer than two hours has passed, the animal may need to be seen and treated.

Direct any questions you may have to your veterinarian, regional poison control center, or the National Animal Poison Information Center at The University of Illinois in Urbana which provides computer-supported telephone consultation for potential poisonings.http://www.napcc.aspca.org/ or call the toll free number(888) 252-7387.

It is our responsibility to keep our animals safe. Protect your dogs from their own sweet tooth. Occasional treats are okay, but keep your dog away from candy bars.

Answer 2

He will probably not even be affected. Yes, chocolate is very unhealthy for dogs. However, Brownies are not solid chocolate, and so only one or two brownies should not be harmful. But, I would suggest calling a vet, because they have the resources to calculate how much chocolate is harmful for yoru size dog. Bcause you used semi-sweet chocolate, that contains even less of the dangerous chemical, alkaloids, then bakers chocolate does.




# Although not all types of chocolate are equally harmful, they contain the alkaloids theobromine and caffeine, which can be toxic to dogs. A lethal dose for a 20-lb. dog requires 10,000mg of alkaloids.
# Baking chocolate has the highest alkaloid content and the highest potential to make your dog seriously ill. One oz. of baking chocolate has a 400mg alkaloid content, 1 oz. of dark chocolate has 150mg, and 1 oz. of milk chocolate has 50mg.

Acoording to this, your dog would have to have eaten 25 oz of pure baking chocolate.

If you feel that your dog may be in danger, look for signs such as Vomiting
Diarrhea
Diuresis (urinary incontinence)
Hyperactivity
Rapid breathing/heartbeat
Muscle tremors
Seizures
Coma

Most likely this will not happen. If you are at all worried, don't take a chance and at least call a 24 hour vet to ask, and if necessary bring your dog in to be checked out. It is better to be too worried than to regret it later, so act on your best instinct, although I have provided you with two good websites to look at.

Good Luck!

Caffeine is NOT the problem like someone said, it is the alkaloids.

Also, Pure hydrogen peroxide would wreak havoc with your dog's throat. Hydrogen peroxide works by killing cells. So if you do this (I don't know if it works) please dilute the peroxide with water, as in the eHow site I suggested.

Answer 3

I asked my vet this and got an answer that can help you. He said the only dog that he knows that actually died from chocolate ate a 4lb chocolate basket pre-filled with the stuff. Your dog might have some digestive problems for awhile, but brownies are not pure chocolate. A baking bar would be a trip to the vet.

Answer 4

I have a 45 pound boxer who ate a whole box of cordial cherries when she was puppy. She is now 9 years old. So likely, your dog will be fine. Chocolate for dogs is like alcohol for us, it builds up in their system over time, and unless they ingest a large quantity regularly, they are usually ok. It's not like your dog eats brownies every day or twice a week.

I would avoid letting him get to it in the future-no point taking chances, but he should be fine-maybe a bit gassier than usual.

Answer 5

No, I don't think he'll die from eating a few brownies... but in the future, you might want to tell your mom to put the brownies somewhere higher, where your dog can't reach it... chocolate isn't good for a dog's health, so it might make your dog sick for a while...

Answer 6

last week my golden retriever puppy ate 2 pounds of dark chocolate and shes only 2 months, she through up like 8 times so we took her to the vet and they said that she could stay over night but it cost 500 dollars so we decided to keep her home and the next day she was fine..so just keep an eye on her and hopefully she will be ok.

Answer 7

i don't really know know but i think it might make your dog a little sick....anyways i had a 100 pound dog a long time ago and we had baked 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies and let we let them sit out on the kitchen table to cool over night well my dog knocked all the cookies off the table and ate them all nothing happened to him but then again he was a bigger dog>>

Answer 8

No, it takes quite a bit of chocolate (theobromine) to hurt a dog. But, it is accumulative in a dogs liver so while a small amount once won't hurt, a small amount over and over will.

Answer 9

It's the caffeine a dog can't take.

Force a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide down his gullet, it'll make him throw up.

Be careful about onions and potato skins -- also poisonous to dogs.

.

Answer 10

Though chocolate is toxic to dogs, it takes a significant amount. Prevention is the key. Your dog should be fine. Have a relaxing weekend.

Answer 11

One time my dog got into a whole bag of Hershey's chocolate chips. she at about 1/3 of the bag until i found her eating it. she weighs about 30 pounds. all it did was make her extremely hyper as if she did some cocaine. but that's all she was fine, so you shouldn't worry about it your dog will be fine.