Is it true that chocolate kills dogs?

Question

I babysit 2 girls and I made them brownies.. little did I know their dog was able to jump on the kitchen table and eat 2 of them.. They got worried because they hurt chocolate kills dogs but I told him he'd just get serious diahherea. Please tell me if this is true.. I would feel horrible if there dog actually dropped dead.

Answer 1

It is very bad for them. I think he would've had to eat at lot more over a longer period of time though. Don't worry...he is fine.

Answer 2

Chocolate can indeed be toxic to dogs, but only in certain amounts. It causes kidney failure.

The dog won't just drop dead, there will be signs, i.e vomiting, lethargy, excessive drinking. When a dog eats a lot of chocolate it's preferable to get him to the vet so they can make him vomit it back up, but this needs to be done within the hour really. If it's too late for that, the only thing you can really do is keep a close eye on him, watch out for anything unusual and get him to a vets immediately if he starts do anything unusual.

Odds are he will be fine so don't panic. People will probably tell you on here that chocolate doesn't hurt dogs, because it is pretty unusual. It can happen though, so you're right to be cautious.

Chalice

EDIT: Oh for HEAVEN'S sake, just look at the variety of answers on here - and the amount of people claiming chocolate can't hurt dogs because 'my dog ate a whole box and was fine'. Oh well then, I guess that makes all dogs safe then. Proof that if you ever have any questions of a medical nature it's best to just give a vet a call to check, you can't rely on this site for anything important!!

Answer 3

Yes, it is true that in large enough quantities chocolate can in fact kill a dog. But the same could be said for just any other substance on the face of this planet, including water. The amount of chocolate it takes to see signs of toxicity varies according to the kind of chocolate and the size of the dog. Unless the dog weighs less than a pound or two, chances are two brownies isn't going to kill him. If he is a small dog, they will probably make him sick. A larger dog might not show any reaction at all.

You need to tell their parents that the dog ate some brownies and that they need to watch their dog for vomiting and lethargy. A little diarrhea is normal, but if the diarrhea continues for more than a day or a day and a half that also needs to be checked out. Probably more dangerous than the chocolate is the amount of sugar in the brownies. Often, eating foods high in fat and/or sugar will cause a dog to develop a case of pancreatitis and that usually requires hospitalization, fluids, and antibiotics to treat.

Answer 4

Unless it was a really small dog, 2 brownies shouldn't do much more harm than some diarrhea. If he's a big dog he might not even get that. Try not to feel too bad.

Tell them it is serious though, and to watch their dog. You don't want them to think it's okay to give him chocolate just because it didn't hurt him. Chocolate IS toxic to dogs and even a tiny bit if given regularly will do damage his internal organs and cause him big problems.

Answer 5

2 chocolate brownies will NOT kill anything. However, chocolate is very bad for dogs and in excess can kill. I doubt very much if this will even upset a dogs stomach as it is so diluted in cake mix. Don't panic. Just be sure that you never feed pure choc to a dog, unless it is dog chocolate as the content can cause a lot of damage and at worst will kill.

Answer 6

Chocolate has a natural ingredient found in the coca bean. While it is true it can kill a dog, most need a build up in their system to do real harm. Some dogs could be allergic enough to die right away. Also the darker the chocolate is the more pure it is. Thus more toxic.

Answer 7

My mom had a Miniature Pincher (v. small dog) that ate a pound of chocolate and was fine. My dog has eaten the most ridiculous stuff, including chocolate, but it varies by how much and the individual dog.

I don't think the dog will die , but best not to let it happen again.

Answer 8

Yes, chocolate is poisonous to dogs, but the amount of chocolate to poison a dog depends on the dog's size, age, and breed. For instance, my mother's golden retrieve ate an entire batch of chocolate brownies, and was perfectly fine. Therefore, unless the dog is small, you probably shouldn't worry.

You do need to worry if the dog shows symptoms of chocolate poisoning. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and hyperactive behavior. If the dog is vomiting or has diarrhea, you need to call the owner of the dog so he/she can get the dog to a vet.

I don't know what kind of chocolate you used for the brownies; if you made them out of a package, dig it out of the trash and look at the ingredients. I found this on a website (find out what kind of chocolate he ate and then weigh him... if the scale won't pick up his weight, weight yourself and then hold the dog and weight again. Subtract your weight from the combined weight):

- Baking chocolate (semi-sweet) is the worst chocolate a dog can eat. Milk chocolate is not near as bad, and white chocolate has the least amount of the ingredient that poisons dogs.

- 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.

I wouldn't worry too much if it is a big or medium sized dog. However, if it's a small dog, keep a close eye on him and call the owner if you see any signs.

Answer 9

absolutely, especially dark chocolate and cooking chocolate. However, different dogs have different tolerences. One of my males has a knack for getting into chocolate (literally, he gets up on counters and OPENS the cabinets to get to it!!) and we have had so many chocolate scares with him but nothing ever happens to him!! We're thinking he has built up a tolerence to some extent because he continues living and is at the bright old age of 11.

Answer 10

O.M.G please tell me that they didn't eat alot of the brownies because if so the etheir will get really really bad diahherea like i mean bad like monta suma revenga. if not another thing that can happen is this happens to alot of dogs the get worms in there stomch and it suposable hurts them but my best friends dog eat mealted chocolate and he got really sick and he was throwing up blood and pooping blood because dogs are like people there like people. hope every thing gose good tell me what happens.

Answer 11

I dont believe chocolate can kill a dog, my dog has eaten chocolate and he is still here, but i do believe that if you feed chocolate to your dog everyday for a long period of time then it can seriously make him sick but that would require alot of it at one time, depending on the size of the dog.