# Dog ate chocolate - Help!



## Aussies4me (Jul 14, 2008)

I have a 50 lb Aussie. Who got into my son's back pack. Just noticed it when I went into the back hall entry way that his back pack had been pulled apart and the tin foil of cookies was empty. 

There was only 3-4 small (size of a flatten golf ball) homemade chocolate chip cookies (probably 4-5 chips per cookie at most) that he says wasn't eaten.

Do not know when she ate them some time after 7:30 pm, we are guessing. She is acting normal, doesnt' seem uncomfortable, or upset, heart rate is fine, temp is normal. She has gone out twice since this has happened ( which is normal) and she peed and pooped as usual.

Have call into vet - BUT what else can I do?


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Honestly, the dog will probably be fine. But do get in touch w/the vet just to ease your mind.

My Grandmother used to feed her Westhighland Terrier 4 squares of a Hershey's bar every night. The dog lived to be 18. (The dog also got coffee in the AM w/lots of cream and sugar...).


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## Filnyyena (Jul 24, 2008)

No joke, my lab X ate my birthday cake a few years back..she was around 5 or 6..It was pure chocolate..the inside, the outside, the shavings, everything. She is now 12+ years old.

What you need to worry about is Baker's Chocolate and dark chocolate..or a large quantity of chocolate..if they get ahold of those..you may need to purge the system..

If you are worried, call the vet SOONER rather than LATER..don't look on a dog forum 

The forums are mainly for emotional support when it comes to illnesses hah..


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## Aussies4me (Jul 14, 2008)

Thank you for your reply. I guess I am just over reacting, but you hear so many things on how bad chocolate is for your dog, I guess I went over the deep end.

I am usually really careful about not leaving things around for her to get into. Neither one of us remembered the cookies where in his back pack. 

Right now I can see her streached out across the bed sleeping with my son and all seems to be normal.


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## sterkrazzy (May 18, 2008)

I've heard milk chocolate was ok for dogs, bigger the dog the more they can eat, but baked chocolate isn't good. I'm not sure how true that is though.


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## Aussies4me (Jul 14, 2008)

I put my first call into the vet and am waiting to hear back from him. Hopefully soon.a

I made the cookies, so it was milk chocolate, perhaps I should switch to peanut butter cookies.


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## Filnyyena (Jul 24, 2008)

We feed our dogs chocolate chip cookies on occassion..my grandpa (against my will) has given them chocolate snacks ranging from oreo cookies to cake to turtles (dark chocolate, the best..) and they are fine..

Because they were chocolate CHIP cookies, you should have nothing to worry about. Chocolate chocolate chip chewy gooyey oodles of mooyey cookies..I'd be concerned 

And hah! Good luck keeping those peanut butter cookies for yourself..your dogs would be all over them in a heart beat rofl..


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I have heard that, once a dog tastes chocolate, they will actively seek it out and you have to be extra diligent.

Sounds like most people.


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## Aussies4me (Jul 14, 2008)

Vet called, told me not to worry, that that small amount shouldn't bother her. But to watch her and if she seems in trouble to give him a call.

So it's the late show on TV for me and her - popcorn for me & NOTHING for her.

Thanks for all your support.


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## Filnyyena (Jul 24, 2008)

Lol RonE 

And are you sure you have that correct Aussie? Usually it is the other way around


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## 2puppimsmom (Mar 16, 2008)

I have heard that chocolate will affect some dogs and others it won't. A family member has a Min Pin. It ate some chocolate candy that was left on a table in the bedroom, of a friend that was dog sitting the dog. The Min Pin almost died. They had to rush it to an animal hospital. Then I have known people that give their dogs chocolate all of the time. One time I had a dog that loved cherry filled Chocolates. At Christmas time that is one of my splurges. And she always tried to get me to give her some. One time when I left the house, I came home to an empty box of cherry chocolates. So after that I would hide the box. She always found them. So I finally hid a box at the bottom of a big box filled with fabrics for sewing. She sniffed them out. When I got home I found the fabric all over the floor and an empty box that had held Cherry filled chocolates.She was a big dog. She never got sick on the chocolate.


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## Love Nugget (Apr 23, 2008)

My cocker spaniel once devoured half of a very large, solid milk chocolate bunny one Easter, foil and all. She lived until she was thirteen, and all the while my dad would share his chocolate and chocolate chip cookies with her. But as others have said, it was a good idea to call the vet. I'm glad to hear she's doing okay!


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## secondchance (Sep 9, 2008)

So, yes chocolate is poisonous for dogs. Please don't give your dogs chocolate, even if it is just a little bit or in cookies etc. Dogs should not be eating processed human foods, why would we spend so much money on all these healthy dog foods if we are just going to give them crap treats that even we shouldn't be eating. All breeds are susceptible to chocolate toxicity. 
So the LD50 dose (which is the amount that 50 percent of those exposed to something will die from it) is 100mg/kg of theobromine (which is the substance in chocolate that is toxic to dogs). Here are the standard amounts in different types of chocolate. 44mg theobromine/oz for milk chocolate, 150mg/oz for semi-sweet chocolate and 390 mg/oz for baking chocolate. (Sorry I am Canadian and I am too tired to convert to lbs) The level that dogs can show signs of toxicity can be as low as 10% of the LD50 dose, so 10mg/kg. Chocolate (milk chocolate in particular) can also cause problems such as pancreatitis and gastric enteritis because of it's high fat content even if the amount eaten wouldn't be considered toxic. 
Signs of chocolate toxicity are hyperexcitability and irritability, excessive panting, increased heart rate, frequent urination, shaking or tremors, drooling and vomiting (not to mention heart failure, seizures etc.). 
So no a few chocolate chips are not going to kill your dog.
But, I am sure we will all agree, that given the opportunity all of our dogs would happily eat a lethal amount of chocolate without even batting an eye!!


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## Filnyyena (Jul 24, 2008)

secondchance said:


> But, I am sure we will all agree, that given the opportunity all of our dogs would happily eat a lethal amount of chocolate without even batting an eye!!


Same with my sandwich..and thanksgiving turkey..and pumpkin pie..and bagel..and poptart..and oatmeal..and anything on the counter that is a physical anomaly.. 

But yes, I knew Bakers was lethal oO Didn't know the breakdowns, very interesting.. And that is true about the treats VS healthy food..but everything in moderation right?


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## echo8287 (Jul 5, 2007)

Dark chocolate is the worst kind. A few CC cookies probably won't hurt anything.David


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Aussies4me said:


> Thank you for your reply. I guess I am just over reacting, but you hear so many things on how bad chocolate is for your dog, I guess I went over the deep end.
> 
> I am usually really careful about not leaving things around for her to get into. Neither one of us remembered the cookies where in his back pack.
> 
> Right now I can see her streached out across the bed sleeping with my son and all seems to be normal.


My dog ate two chocolate chip cookies a while ago and like you, I was freaking out. I found out that, for my 17 lb dog to be poisoned, she would have had to eat 4 chocolate bars. 

However, in the case where your dog has eaten alot or something else tha the shouldn't have, I read to have ipecac on hand and give it to them to make them vomit. Hydrgen peroxide will do the same thing. A sign is restlessness and frequent urination. But it doesn't sound like your ate consumed a lot so he should be okay. I also gave her milk as a website had suggested it. I'm not sure if that did anything or not but in that state, I would have done anything....


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