Dogs · chocolate · free
Dog chocolate toxicity calculator
Enter your dog’s weight, the kind of chocolate and how much it ate. You get the dose in mg/kg of theobromine and caffeine, and the band it falls in.
Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 now, even when the figure below looks low. It answers 24 hours a day (a consultation fee may apply). Have the dog’s weight, the kind of chocolate and the amount ready. (888) 426-4435
7.2mg/kgof theobromine and caffeine: 65 mg in all
Below 20 mg/kg, the dose where Merck lists the first signs. Still call now: the figure is an estimate from what you entered.
Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 now.
- 20 mg/kg at 79 g (2.8 oz)
- 40 mg/kg at 158 g (5.6 oz)
- 60 mg/kg at 237 g (8.3 oz)
The figure is a dose for a healthy adult dog: the sources do not account for a dog’s heart disease, other medicines, or chocolate with raisins, nuts or xylitol. For dark chocolate it uses the top of Merck’s range (5.6 mg per gram).
A low figure is never an all clear. Your veterinarian or the poison line can tell you whether to watch at home or to come in.
The dose is the grams eaten × the milligrams of theobromine and caffeine per gram of that chocolate ÷ the dog’s weight in kg, set against the bands of the Merck Veterinary Manual. How we work it out.