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This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only. You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet. Dogs and some cats find chocolate very tasty - but too much can be fatal - so "Keep chocolate out of the reach of dogs and cats" Just like us, dogs and some cats find chocolate highly palatable but it is important to avoid giving too much. There are some minor problems that can result from too much chocolate :
The signs of chocolate poisoning due to the theobromine toxicity include :
The official LD50 (a measure of the toxicity of a product) of theobromine in dogs is 240-500 mg/kg body weight of the animal. But there is a report of a dog dying after eating only 114 mg/kg body weight. Milk chocolate contains about 1.5mg theobromine per gram, and unsweetened baking chocolate contains upto 15mg per gram. So potentially toxic levels can be reached in a 10kg dog by eating only 2.2oz (63grams) of unsweetened cooking chocolate, or 23.5 oz (1.5lb or 670 grams) of milk chocolate.
Updated October 2013 | |||