Whilst we all like to give our dogs treats and make them feel part of the family, there are some foods that you should never give to your furry friend.

Why can't dogs eat chocolate?
 

Many, seemingly harmless, “human foods” are highly toxic to dogs and therefore should be avoided. One of the most common, and toxic foods, that is often given to dogs is chocolate. The Good Kennel Guide has produced a simple guide to help you understand the problem, know the symptoms and work out whether veterinary advice should be sort.

Chocolate contains theobromine which, a bit like caffeine, is a stimulant that is poisonous to dogs as they metabolize it far more slowly than humans allowing toxic levels to build up.  The amount of theobromine depends on the type of chocolate, with cooking chocolate being the worst culprit, and white chocolate containing the least amount. 

What does chocolate do to dogs?

Theobromine mainly affects the kidneys, central nervous system, heart, and guts. Symptoms of theobromine poisoning may occur between four and 24 hours after your dog has eaten chocolate and may include restlessness, vomiting, diarrhoea, hyperactivity and seizures.

What to do if your dog has eaten chocolate

Should your dog find your hidden stash of chocolate here is a quick way of judging whether or not you need to seek help.

How much chocolate is toxic to dogs?

The bullets below show the amount of toxin contained in an ounce of chocolate.

• Cooking chocolate 393 mg/oz
• Dark chocolate 130 mg/oz
• Milk chocolate 58 mg/oz
• White chocolate 0.25 mg/oz

The toxic amount for a dog is 20mg of toxic substance per pound of your dogs weight. In order to work this out multiply the amount of chocolate eaten by the mg/oz of the type of chocolate eaten and divide this number by the pounds of your dogs weight.

For example: If your dog has eaten 2 ounces of white chocolate and weighs 10 pounds……

2 x 0.25 = 0.5 (ounces eaten x mg/oz of toxin in white chocolate)

0.5 / 10 = 0.05 (answer to above divided by dogs weight in pounds)

This is well below the critical amount of 20 so no need to panic.

 

On the other hand, if your dog has eaten 5 ounces of dark chocolate and weighs 20 pounds……

5 x 130 = 650

650 / 20 = 32.5

As this is well over the magic “20” you should seek veterinary advice immediately.

The following products offer the flavour of chocolate whilst being safe for consumption by dogs.

Good Boy Choc Drops Dog Treats, 250g £1.49

 

Leaps & Bounds Woof-Bar Milk Chocolate Alternative for Dogs (Pack of 3) £4.41

See also:

What foods should you never feed your dog?

Homemade Dog Treats: Crunchy Carrot Treats

Homemade Dog Treats: Doggy Ice Cream