My dog ate chocolate: what to do now
Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 now, even if your dog is acting fine. Then use this page to understand the dose they will ask about.
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
What to do in the next few minutes
Call first, then read. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center answers at (888) 426-4435 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and a consultation fee may apply. Your own veterinarian or an emergency clinic can also take the call.
Have three things ready: your dog’s weight, the kind of chocolate (the wrapper helps) and how much is missing. Those are the three numbers that set the dose.
Time matters. The Merck Veterinary Manual, written for veterinarians, says that in dogs that still look normal, making them vomit “should be considered with recent exposures (eg, within 2 hours of chocolate ingestion).” That is the veterinarian’s decision: ask before you give your dog anything at home.
How much chocolate is a problem
Chocolate harms dogs through its methylxanthines, theobromine and caffeine. The dose is the milligrams of them the dog ate divided by its weight in kilograms (mg/kg).
Merck gives the bands: “mild clinical signs (vomiting, diarrhea, polydipsia) may occur in dogs ingesting 20 mg/kg; cardiotoxic effects occur after ingesting 40–50 mg/kg, and seizures occur after ingesting doses ≥ 60 mg/kg.” Polydipsia is excessive thirst.
The darker the chocolate, the more it holds. Merck lists 2.3 mg per gram for milk chocolate, 5.3 to 5.6 for semisweet and dark (the calculator uses 5.6) and 15.5 for unsweetened baking chocolate. The ASPCA names baking chocolate and cocoa powder as the most dangerous and white chocolate as the least.
A dose under 20 mg/kg is not a safe line. It is only where Merck lists the first signs, the figures are estimates from what you entered, and a dog with heart disease or on other medicines is not covered by them. Every case below still ends with a call.
The signs, and when they start
Merck: “Clinical signs of chocolate toxicosis usually occur within 6–12 hours after ingestion. Initial clinical signs may include polydipsia, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distention, and restlessness.” And then: “Clinical signs may progress to hyperactivity, polyuria, ataxia, rigidity, tremors, and seizures.” Polyuria is passing a lot of urine; ataxia is a wobbly, uncoordinated walk.
The ASPCA lists, for chocolate, coffee and caffeine: “vomiting and diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death.”
Why “acting fine” does not mean safe
A dog that ate chocolate an hour ago and looks normal is what the timing predicts: Merck says signs usually appear 6–12 hours after the dog ate it. Looking fine at first tells you nothing about the dose.
The chemicals also stay in the body a long time. Merck gives the half-life of theobromine in dogs as 17.5 hours (caffeine 4.5 hours), and says signs “may persist for up to 72 hours in severe cases.”
So the time to call is before the signs, while your veterinarian still has the most options.
Worked examples: common cases at three dog weights
Each row is the calculator’s own result for the amount shown, which is an example to compare with, not a product’s label. A recipe or a bar can hold more or less: weigh or read the wrapper of what your dog ate. Chocolate chips in cookies are usually semisweet, so the cookie uses the dark and semisweet figure. The milligrams are 84 for the cookie, 159 for the dark piece, 98 for the milk bar and 439 for the baking square.
The same ounce of chocolate is a very different dose by kind and by dog. For a 20 lb dog, 1 oz of baking chocolate is 48.4 mg/kg, past where Merck lists heart effects; 1 oz of dark chocolate is 17.5 mg/kg. For a 10 lb dog, that ounce of dark chocolate is 35.0 mg/kg, past the first band. Two cookies, or two bars, double the dose.
| What the dog ate | Dog’s weight | Dose (mg/kg) | What Merck lists at this dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| A chocolate chip cookie with 15 g of semisweet chips | 10 lb | 18.5 | Below 20 mg/kg, where Merck lists the first signs. Not an all clear: call. |
| A chocolate chip cookie with 15 g of semisweet chips | 20 lb | 9.3 | Below 20 mg/kg, where Merck lists the first signs. Not an all clear: call. |
| A chocolate chip cookie with 15 g of semisweet chips | 50 lb | 3.7 | Below 20 mg/kg, where Merck lists the first signs. Not an all clear: call. |
| A small piece of dark chocolate, 1 oz | 10 lb | 35.0 | Mild signs possible (20 mg/kg and up). Call now. |
| A small piece of dark chocolate, 1 oz | 20 lb | 17.5 | Below 20 mg/kg, where Merck lists the first signs. Not an all clear: call. |
| A small piece of dark chocolate, 1 oz | 50 lb | 7.0 | Below 20 mg/kg, where Merck lists the first signs. Not an all clear: call. |
| A 1.5 oz milk chocolate bar | 10 lb | 21.6 | Mild signs possible (20 mg/kg and up). Call now. |
| A 1.5 oz milk chocolate bar | 20 lb | 10.8 | Below 20 mg/kg, where Merck lists the first signs. Not an all clear: call. |
| A 1.5 oz milk chocolate bar | 50 lb | 4.3 | Below 20 mg/kg, where Merck lists the first signs. Not an all clear: call. |
| A 1 oz square of unsweetened baking chocolate | 10 lb | 96.9 | Seizures possible (60 mg/kg and up). An emergency: call now. |
| A 1 oz square of unsweetened baking chocolate | 20 lb | 48.4 | Heart effects possible (40 mg/kg and up). Call now: this needs a veterinarian. |
| A 1 oz square of unsweetened baking chocolate | 50 lb | 19.4 | Below 20 mg/kg, where Merck lists the first signs. Not an all clear: call. |
Open the calculator with a case filled in, then change it to what your dog ate:
Frequently asked questions
My dog ate chocolate but is acting fine. Do I still call?
Yes. Merck says signs usually start 6–12 hours after the dog ate the chocolate, so a dog can look normal for hours before they do. Call your veterinarian or the poison line now and tell them the weight, the kind and the amount.
My dog ate a small piece of chocolate. Is that enough to matter?
It depends on the kind and the dog. A 1 oz piece of dark chocolate is 35.0 mg/kg for a 10 lb dog and 7.0 mg/kg for a 50 lb dog. Neither figure is an all clear: call, and let the veterinarian decide.
My dog ate chocolate 24 hours ago. Is it too late to call?
No. Merck says signs may persist for up to 72 hours in severe cases, and the half-life of theobromine in dogs is 17.5 hours. Call your veterinarian or the poison line and say when it happened.
My dog ate a chocolate chip cookie. What do I tell the vet?
The number of cookies, whether the chips were milk or semisweet, and your dog’s weight. One cookie with 15 g of semisweet chips is 18.5 mg/kg for a 10 lb dog; cookies with raisins, nuts or xylitol are outside what the calculator covers, so say so on the call.