Q: Is it true that chocolate is toxic to dogs? If so, what should I do if my dog eats some?
A: Plenty of people love chocolate, for its health benefits and for its rich taste. And some dogs must like the taste, too, based on the number of them that break into the Halloween leftover stash, holiday gift boxes of the stuff, and Valentine's Day sweets.
But chocolate doesn't love them back.
Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine. Both of these plant alkaloids are mildly stimulating to humans, but can be toxic to dogs because they aren't able to process theobromine as efficiently as humans.
You may have heard of dogs who eat, say, a whole pan of brownies with no ill effects. That's because chocolate's toxic effects — known as chocolate toxicosis — vary by size of the dog, amount and type of chocolate eaten, and individual sensitivity. The darker and more bitter the chocolate, the more toxic it is. That doesn't mean that milk chocolate is safe. One ounce of milk chocolate per pound of body weight is a potentially lethal dose in dogs.
Dogs that ingest chocolate may start to vomit, have diarrhea or become unusually thirsty within six to 12 hours. Other signs of chocolate toxicosis include restlessness, a distended abdomen, seizures, a racing heart (tachycardia), and high or low blood pressure. Dogs that are highly sensitive to theobromine or ingest cocoa powder or unsweetened baking chocolate can die from cardiac arrhythmias, hyperthermia or respiratory failure.
Another factor is the possible presence of xylitol, a sugar alcohol, in some chocolate products. It's highly toxic to dogs and may be of more concern than chocolate itself. When in doubt, call a pet poison hotline.
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