“Not for the dog, it’s toxic, it can kill him!” This sentence, you have surely heard it a party evening. You then started to crack and give the ultimate Ferrero Rocher to this doggie who had been making your most beautiful cocker spaniens for several minutes, before having you reprimanded by his master who is in his tenth chocolate of the evening.
Chocolate question (and chips, but it’s another story), dogs and humans are not housed in the same brand. When the latter can swallow several squares without flinching, the first, they are exposed to real dangers by swallowing even a small end.
For what? Simply because chocolate is toxic. Not for us (nature is well done), at least if we consume in reasonable quantities. But a substance present in this food is fatal to dogs: theobromine.
“Don’t you know that you are toxic”
Theobromine is a natural compound found in cocoa beans. In humans, it acts as a gentle stimulant by slightly increasing vigilance and providing a feeling of well-being. In dogs, none of that: it causes serious toxic effects.
Why this difference? Simply because our organism does not manage the substance in the same way. In humans, theobromine is quickly metabolized: two to three hours are necessary for half the substance to be eliminated from the body, which prevents its accumulation at toxic levels.
In dogs, none of that. Theobromine is eliminated much more slowly, in about eighteen hours, which causes accumulation that can cause serious toxic effects.
Among the most common chocolate poisoning symptoms in dogs are vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, but also abnormal agitation, muscle tremors, even heart problems and convulsions. In the worst cases, this can lead to a coma, even to the death of the animal.
It all depends on the type of chocolate
You will understand, you should not give a chocolate to a dog. It is therefore better not to leave it lying around everywhere in the living room, especially if it’s dark chocolate!
Not all chocolates do not contain the same amount of theobromine and are not as toxic to dogs. If black (or worse, bakery chocolate) sits at the top of the toxicity ranking with up to 600 milligrams of theobromine for 100 grams of chocolate, milk chocolate (about 200 milligrams per 100 grams) follows in the list, which ends with white chocolate, with low thebromine content, therefore relatively not toxic.
On the dog side, it’s the same: not everyone is housed in the same brand in front of the terrible tablet. It all depends mainly on the weight of the animal and its sensitivity. Some dogs, especially those with heart problems, are for example more sensitive to theobromine than others.
Chihuahuas, Beagles, Golden Retrievers
Overall, it is estimated that the toxic dose of theobromine in dogs is around 20 milligram per kilo of body weight. Toxicity is therefore very easy to reach, especially with dark chocolate: a few squares are enough to endanger the animal.
For small dogs of 5 kilos such as chihuahuas or yorkshires, 17 grams of dark chocolate, that is to say about two squares, are enough for example to reach the toxicity threshold. For dogs of almost 10 kilos like French beagles and bulldogs, it takes just over three squares of dark chocolate, against six to seven to border them with approximately 20 kilos.
The biggest dogs that can weigh 30 kilos, such as the Golden Retrievers and German shepherds, are more resistant and should swallow around 100 grams of dark chocolate, or almost ten squares, to exceed the danger threshold. When you know the monster appetite and the curiosity of these animals, a tablet can quickly disappear if you let them do it.
And to reach a fatal dose? The lethal quantity would indicate, in an indicative way, from 80 grams to 150 grams of dark chocolate (at 70%) for a dog of 5 kilos, 150 grams at 300 grams for a dog of about 10 kilos, and 500 grams or more of dark chocolate for a dog of 30 kilos.
These figures, purely indicative and which can vary according to several criteria, nevertheless show the danger of chocolate ingestion in all types of dogs. So do not let your snacks hang around everywhere in the living room, at the risk of having to take an emergency tour with the veterinarian!
