My 15lb dog ate milk chocolate hearts. Should I be concerned?

The effects of chocolate on a pet depends on a few factors: how big the pet is, how much they ate, and how dark the chocolate is. The darker the chocolate, the higher the concentration of theobromine, the ingredient that pets are sensitive to. Cocoa powder can have up to 10 percent theobromine. It's all dependent on how dark the chocolate is, where the cacao beans are grown and the brand. According to Hershey's, the theobromine content for their different types of chocolate is as follows. 1½ ounce Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar - 74 milligrams 1½ ounce Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar - 184 milligrams 1½ ounce semi-sweet chocolate chips - 165 milligrams 1½ ounce unsweetened baking chocolate - 466 milligrams 1 Hershey's Kiss - 8.2 milligrams 2 tbsp chocolate syrup - 70 milligrams Theobromine is digested and metabolized very slowly in dogs. The alkaline substance increases the heart rate and slows blood pressure. It also increases urination, causing dehydration. In addition, many digestive problems can occur. Symptoms to watch for generally occur in the first 12 hours. They include: Diarrhea Excitability Increased urination Irritability Muscle tremors Rapid pulse Restlessness Vomiting Left untreated, the dog can develop seizures and die from ingesting too much chocolate. This is where it is important to know exactly how much your dog has eaten. It's important to contact your veterinarian if your dog eats chocolate. In mild cases, you'll be advised to induce vomiting within the first two hours and then watch for signs of chocolate poisoning. If anything alarming occurs, seek veterinary care immediately. If veterinary care is necessary, charcoal is used to absorb as much theobromine as possible. The stomach may be pumped to remove additional chocolate before it digests. The heart is closely monitored and arrhythmias will be treated if they occur. IV fluids may be ordered to prevent dehydration. Seizures will be treated with medications. According to the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center, ingesting 20 milligrams of theobromine can cause mild poisoning. Ingesting 60 milligrams can lead to seizures. A lot of this depends on the dog's size.

I’m sorry your pups got into the chocolate. I’m glad it was a relatively small amount. If your tiny Yorkie mix ate all that chocolate he could potentially have some adverse effects including increased heart rate and vomiting, diarrhea. The larger dog would likely have much more mild, if any, signs, such as intestinal upset. If there s a chance the smaller dog ate all of the chocolate or if either is showing signs of aggitation, I would bring him to your vet ASAP. They may want to consider inducing vomiting and can evaluate the heart rate as well. Here is a chocolate calculator you can use as well: http://veterinaryclinic.com/chocolate/calc.html

Oh no, that's not good that Ginger at the pretzels! If she ate a fourth of a 7oz bag, she consumed probably around 1.75oz. For safety reasons, we will assume the chocolate weights 1.75oz, although in reality it's likely a lot less. At her weight, it would at most cause a mild reaction in that you could see vomiting, diarrhea, elevated heart rate, and shaking. More than likely, she did not consume enough chocolate for you to see any reaction, and she will be fine. If you do see any GI signs, I can give you a home remedy to try to see if that helps. 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 her normal diet. It can take up to 24 hours for signs of chocolate toxicity to show, so I would monitor her for the next day. I hope this helps, best of luck!

For a 60 lb dog, Olive would need to eat More than 10oz of pure dark chocolate for there to be severe effects. That would be more than 6 servings of this product or about half the bag. Moderate side effects will be seen at 7 or more oz of dark chocolate. Olive will most likely experience some stomache upset mostly because of the mango. However, if she has vomiting or diarrhea that persists for more than 24 hours or if she becomes inappetent or lethargic, she will need to be seen by a veterinarian right away.

Hello, thank you for your question about Gigi. Chocolate is toxic to dogs and the toxicity can lead to a severity of symptoms. Depending on when Gigi ate the chocolate and how many ounces of chocolate she ate relative to her weight can determine the likelihood of developing any toxicity. The first signs of toxicity include vomiting/diarrhea, if a large amount was ingested symptoms can progressive to anxiety, tremoring, or seizures. For a small dog like Gigi, even a small amount like 4-5 chunks, could lead to severe side effects. I contacting ASPCA Poison Control who can provide more guided information regarding the dose that Gigi ingested and make recommendations for treatment/veterinary care. There is a fee for their service. Alternatively, you could have Gigi seen by your veterinarian so that they can examine her and determine the need for additional treatments. Hope this helps, good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Louie! One Hershey kiss weighs about 4.46 grams so 20 is about 89.2 grams of milk chocolate. For Louie that is a toxic dose where vomiting and diarrhea will occur. Since he is vomiting he should be seen by your Vet for an exam, anti-nausea medications and fluids today. If he is having diarrhea they can provide medications to help with that. Once the vomiting stops he should be fed a bland diet for 3-7 days. You can purchase a diet from your Vet or cook for him by boiling chicken or hamburger and combining it with rice. Feed 1 cup per 20 lbs per day. I wish Louie the best!

It's difficult to know how much the actual cocoa content is in this, but 2oz of dark chocolate would only be enough to cause mild signs of toxicity, which would be hyper-excitability. It's likely that this will not cause any issues at all with Henry, so I don't see the need to rush to the vet just yet. Signs of further chocolate toxicity can be vomiting, tremors and seizures. If you notice any of these signs, then it's best to take Henry to a vet for treatment/monitoring. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done at home for this. It's best to make sure he has plenty of water and that you check him every four hours for any signs of toxicity. If he is still normal after 12 hours, then I would not worry about any signs of toxicity. I hope that helps and all is well with Henry.