Humans love chocolate for all occasions, whether it's birthdays, holidays, or any day in between. Unfortunately, chocolate in all forms is poisonous to our pets and should be kept away from them entirely.
Cats and dogs are both at risk of chocolate poisoning. However, there are more reported cases of dogs being affected since dogs typically eat just about anything. Smaller pets face much greater risk of chocolate toxicity than large breed dogs because it only takes a small amount of chocolate to negatively affect them. While 3 ounces of milk chocolate can cause vomiting and diarrhea in a 20-pound dog, it takes about 11 ounces to cause the same effects in an 80-pound dog.
Chocolate and cocoa contain caffeine and a naturally occurring stimulant called theobromine which are both toxic to dogs and cats.
Theobromine and caffeine cause an increased heart rate. A pet that consumes toxic amounts of chocolate will experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and restlessness.
Take pets with suspected chocolate poisoning to their veterinarian immediately. The veterinarian may induce vomiting. Active charcoal may be used to prevent absorption into the bloodstream.
Dark chocolate contains more of the stimulants than milk chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate and baking chocolate contains even higher amounts, which make them more dangerous. White chocolate contains only trace amounts of caffeine and theobromine, but is still bad for your cat or dog and should still be avoided.
Theobromine levels of different types of chocolate
800 mg/oz in dry cocoa powder
450 mg/oz in unsweetened (baker's) chocolate
255 mg/oz in cocoa bean mulch
150-160 mg/oz in semi-sweet and sweet dark chocolate
44-64 mg/oz in milk chocolate
An insignificant amount in white chocolate
Not only can chocolate be found in candy and baked goods, but also in our gardens. Households with pets should avoid gardening with cocoa bean mulch which also contains toxic amounts of theobromine.
