Did Your Dog Just Eat Halloween Chocolate? Here's What To Look For And What To Do Next

Pups and Reece’s Cups don’t mix.

But on this day each year, I see more cases of chocolate toxicity than I can count.

If your dog just ate chocolate, don’t panic. Not all chocolates are created equal, and chocolate ingestion doesn’t guarantee chocolate toxicity. That being said, certain chocolates can be extremely toxic, and if ingested in high enough quantities, can even be fatal. ☠️

I’m sure I’ve spooked you now, so let’s break it down quickly.

Chocolate has two different toxic elements:

1. theobromine

2. caffeine

Both of these elements are within the methylxanthine chemical class.

The more pure the chocolate is, the more methylxanthines it contains, and the more toxic it is.

In order of toxicity:

baking chocolate > dark chocolate > milk chocolate > white chocolate

Technically, white chocolate isn’t a true chocolate (containing cacao), so it doesn’t contain any methylxanthines. So, if your dog got into a bag of white chocolates, it might get an upset stomach from all of the fat and sugar, but that should be the extent of their troubles.

If your dog just ate chocolate, check their dose with the chocolate toxicity calculator*:

The chocolate toxicity calculator will give you an estimation of the amount of toxins ingested, and whether or not you should pursue emergency veterinary treatment.

This is very important to do immediately, so that your dog can be brought to the vet for decontamination before they begin exhibiting any symptoms or feeling the effects of the toxicity.

*The chocolate toxicity calculator only works if you know the amount of chocolate consumed, and have an accurate bodyweight for your dog.

How to weigh your dog at home?

• Small dogs: set them on the home scale

  1. Make sure all four paws are on the scale, and they are not offloading their weight by leaning against a wall

• Large dogs: 3 steps

  1. Weigh yourself

  2. Pick your dog up and step on the scale, measuring your combined weight

  3. Subtract the difference

If you’re unable to weigh your dog at home or you’re unsure of the amount of chocolate consumed, contact a local emergency veterinarian immediately!

If you happened to find your dog sometime after the fact, these are some of the signs you should be looking out for:

At low doses (as low as 20 mg/kg) signs include:

• agitation

• hyperactivity

• gastrointestinal signs

  • lip-licking

  • drooling

  • vomiting

  • diarrhea

  • (all of which may smell sweet like chocolate)

Lay it on me, sugar.

At doses > 40 mg/kg, cardiac signs can be seen:

• tachycardia (elevated heart rate)

• hypertension (elevated blood pressure)

• arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm — which can be fatal!)

At doses > 60 mg/kg, neurologic signs can be seen:

• muscle tremors

• twitching

• seizures

And for doses > 200 mg/kg (approximately 100 mg/lb) —> 🪦

Often, these signs of toxicity present in order. In other words, a dog will usually have some GI signs before it develops an elevated heart rate, before toxicity progresses to seizures. But that isn’t always the case.

If your dog displays ANY of the symptoms listed above, seek veterinary care immediately.

But hopefully your pup’s Halloween won’t be so spooky.

Stay safe,

Dr. Sami

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

“If I stand very still, no one will notice.”