I got home from a quick trip to the store to get some dog food. While I was done, the dog (a 100 LBS 1 year old mastiff) decided to eat a bar of dark chocolate on the counter.
What should I do? Should I just watch her and hope for the best, or take her to the emergency vet? The bar was approx 1.65 oz and 72% dark chocolate (according to the wrapper).
drb
Favorite Answer
Given the size of your dog, and relatively small amount of chocolate (compared to the dog) it's most likely OK. Here's a link with information about chocolate poisoning: http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/nutritiondogs/a/chocolatetoxici.htm
Since your dog is 100 lbs, (45.5 kg), using the low figure of 20mg/Kg of theobromine, your dog would have to ingest about 900 mg. of theobromine, or somewhere around two ounces of unsweetened chocolate. Your dog got a little over one ounce of choclate, so you're probably OK., according to this source.
Still, different dogs may react differently. Some may be more sensitive, some less so. And the 20 mg/Kg is a very conservative number. Just keep an eye on her for the symptoms listed, and if she starts showing any of them, call your vet.
waldenberg
Dog Ate Chocolate Bar
Cyndi
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RE:
My dog ate a chocolate bar. Should I take her to a vet?
I got home from a quick trip to the store to get some dog food. While I was done, the dog (a 100 LBS 1 year old mastiff) decided to eat a bar of dark chocolate on the counter.
What should I do? Should I just watch her and hope for the best, or take her to the emergency vet? The bar was approx...
Anonymous
No question take her to the vet.Chocolate can kill dogs...not sure about dark chocolate though.Try calling an emergency vet first.
I know in the past my dogs have eaten a lot of chocolate and not so much as gotten sick.It's sort of like an allergy.Some dogs can die from chocolate,and some can't.Majority DO die from eating chocolate so vets just tell everyone to not feed their dog chocolate to be safe!
Caninelegion
No, even with 70% dark, a single bar will do nothing in a dog that large. Do CALL your vet, though and ask the same question: you'll feel better about it.
And remember, grain alcolhol is toxic to humans but we can sure drink a lot of beer without dying. Chocolate is only mildly toxic to dogs.