TIP

How toxic is chocolate? Chocolate contains both caffeine and theobromine, both of which are toxic to dogs in large enough quantities. Mild toxicity is exhibited as agitation, vomiting and diarrhea. More serious cases will progress on to involve tremors, cardiac arrythmias and seizures. The toxicity depends on the amount of cocoa in the product. Semi-sweet and dark chocolate are 2-3 times as toxic as milk chocolate. Baking chocolate is 8 times as toxic. Cocoa powder is 16 times as toxic. In short, mild toxicity starts at 2-4 oz of milk chocolate or 1-2 oz of dark/semi-sweet chocolate per 5 lbs of body weight. An ounce brick of baking chocolate would be toxic to a 45 lb dog.

Close Tip