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July 25, 2002
Chocolate Toxicity in Dogs

The active ingredient in chocolate, and the substance that is potentially harmful to dogs, is theobromine. The LD50 - dose at which one-half of the dogs exposed to a substance will die - is about 50 mg of theobromine per pound of the dog’s body weight. Yet even a lower dosage can cause vomiting, excitement, increased urination, muscle tremors, and rapid heart rate. The concentration of theobromine varies with the type of chocolate. Milk chocolate has 44 mg
theobromine per ounce. Semi-sweet chocolate has 150 mg per ounce. Baking
chocolate has 390 mg per ounce. Therefore, for a 10 pound dog, the toxic dose of baking chocolate would be only one ounce, but the dog would have to eat almost 3 ounces of semi-sweet or 10 ounces of milk chocolate to get the same dose of theobromine. The fat in chocolate can also be harmful, and dogs
often get enteritis or pancreatitis following excessive ingestion of milk chocolate. Diarrhea may also occur, requiring rehydration. If accidental chocolate ingestion occurs, a veterinarian should be consulted. If your dog begs for chocolate, our compounding pharmacy has a special non-toxic chocolate flavoring that we can combine with needed medications, and it truly “can help the medicine go down”!

We welcome your questions. Bring us your medication problems!

Copyright 2002, Storey Marketing - Veterinary Website Updates. Reproduction
prohibited without subscription from Storey Marketing (814-337-3441).
Questions regarding this article should be directed to the compounding
professionals at Martin Avenue Pharmacy, Inc. at 630-355-6400.