Dogs are not ‘allergic’ to chocolate however chocolate does react differently to a dog’s body chemistry than it does to that of a human’s thus actually making chocolate poisonous to dogs. This is no reason to panic if Fido happens to sneak a few chocolate crumbs or an M&M off of the floor. The toxicity in chocolate to dogs varies by the type and amount of chocolate as well as the dog’s weight. You might be wondering what it is about chocolate that makes it toxic to dogs. Chocolate contains theobromine, which acts as a stimulant. Unlike a human’s body, a dog’s body does not metabolize theobromine quickly thus prolonging the process and intensifying the stimulant and having a negative effect on the dog’s heart and nervous system. In sufficient amounts this has been known to cause seizures and cardiac arrest.
When consumed in smaller amounts, theobromine in chocolate makes dogs sick and can lead to potential kidney damage. Although a six pound Papillion eating a few ounces of chocolate may have experience different side effects than say a seventy five pound golden retriever that consumes thirty something ounces of chocolate, the best rule is to keep all kinds of chocolate away from all types of dogs.
If you suspect that your dog has eaten chocolate a few signs they may be exhibiting include acting hyper, excessive excitement, irritability, frequent urination, racing heart, and symptoms may eventually progress to vomiting, lethargy, muscle tremors, and/or diarrhea. The final stages of chocolate poisoning include seizures and sometimes even death. If you know or suspect that your dog has consumed a significant amount of chocolate contact an emergency hotline or veterinarian immediately. If it has been less than two hours since the chocolate has been consumed, inducing the dog to vomit may be suggested. However if it has been longer than two hours this means that the metabolic processing has already gone too far and vomiting will not be beneficial. It is at this point that you should seek emergency professional medical care for your canine friend before fatality strikes.
Other foods that are toxic to dogs include: garlic, large quantities of onions, raw salmon, mushrooms, grapes, raisins, sugarless candies, and caffeine.
John says
This totally happened. One time my parents and I went out to dinner and came home to find our dog Sam (a 40 lb border collie mix) had broken into an unopened box of bridge mix (an assortment of chocolate covered sweets that includes raisins). The box had a net wt of a pound of this stuff. It was late when we returned and there wasn’t a 24-hr pet hospital around at the time. We monitored him to check for abnormalities, but he never really seemed to exhibit any unusual behaviors.
He was fine. Needless to say we got lucky. Because I’m sure a normal human would even get sick eating all that. Luckily he never got sick.
He also never got to eat bridge mix again.