My dog ate a chocolate protein bar. Is it dangerous for dogs?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on March 17th, 2018

  That's not good that Sterling ate that protein bar while you were gone! Luckily, it will not contain a lot of chocolate, so I wouldn't be worried about chocolate toxicity. I read the ingredients (thanks for providing that!) to see if there was xylitol in it, which luckily there is not! Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs. There is stevia, but that is not toxic to dogs. You don't need to rush him into a vet right away, and it's fine to monitor him. You may see some stomach upset from this ingestion, and I can give you a home remedy in case that happens. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the vomiting continues in the absence of food, he vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away. Good luck, I hope this helps!

  

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• Answered By Emily, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on June 1st, 2017

  Hello
  That dose of chocolate could cause GI signs like vomitng, diarrhea and nausea but is unlikely to cause true signs of chocolate toxicity if the chocolate was milk chocolate and not dark chocolate (also assuming no xylitol was in the bar). I recommend contacting the ASPCA pet poison hotline for specific guidelines based on the brand of protein bar. Alternatively you could monitor her for any changes in behavior/attitude.

  

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• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on February 21st, 2017

  I honestly can't say for sure because I don't know the ingredients of this item (I'm assuming you mean a chocolate protein bar). I can say that there isn't a lot of ounces of pure chocolate in a protein bar. At Piru's weight of 11 pounds, it would take at least 4 ounces of milk chocolate to cause a moderate to severe reaction. Any amount below that would cause a mild reaction. If it was dark chocolate, it would take only 1 ounce to cause a moderate to severe reaction (dark chocolate is the most toxic type of chocolate). If the amount of chocolate in the bar was less than the amounts I mentioned above, then Piru should be fine, and you may see some GI upset from it in the form of vomiting and diarrhea. Should you see that, Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet.
  
  If the amount of chocolate is the same or more than the amounts I mentioned above, then yes this is an emergency and I would take Piru into a vet immediately. It's always ok to have him seen by a vet to be safe, however, to have vomiting safely induced with a shot to prevent any potential problems. I hope this helps!

  

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• Answered By Christie Long, DVM

  Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

  Published on May 13th, 2016

  A Hershey bar weighs 1.55 ounces, so let's say all of the is chocolate (I'm assuming you're talking about a milk chocolate Hershey bar). If she ate one and a half of them, that would be between 2 and 3 ounces of chocolate. According to my chocolate toxicity calculator, she should be OK with this dose. You might see some mild GI upset, such as vomiting and diarrhea. I would withhold food for several hours to see how she does, and take her to the vet if you see any stomach upset.
  
  I have seen one or two dogs who were exceptionally sensitive to even small amounts of chocolate, although this is rare. If you want to be completely safe you are within a good window of time to take her to your vet's and have vomiting induced.

  

  10Pet Parents found this answer helpful