Dog ate chocolate, and nothing?

On Saturday my dog ate half a box of Girl Scout Tagalong cookies. I couldn't get on the internet to see if I should worry or not so I just watched her. To my surprise nothing happened. I thought if she vommited or had the runs I would start worrying, but nothing? Is this normal? She didn't seem to have any issues.



P.S. I did not give her the chocolate or would I ever. She jumped up on the table and stole them while I was in the other room.

 

Two halloweens ago my girl snagged a bag of milk duds, the little boxes, she open each box, discarded it and ate the milk duds. I called poison control and was told that that amount of chocolate of that type for a 32 lb dog would most likely give her a case of "soft" stool...and that is all it did.

It is the bakers bitter chocolate that is the highly toxic....keep an eye out for vomiting and diarhea...it is Monday have you seen any signs of distress yet, if not that is very good!

 

No, she hasn't even had trouble with loose stool and she didn't seem twitchy or anything after eating it.

 

Chocolate Toxicity in Dogs

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We've all heard it, "Don't give your dog chocolate it will kill him". We'll how true is it you're probably wondering. Do I have to rush him to an emergency vet if he ate one of my M&M's?

The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. This is a xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine, and theophylline.

Toxic Levels

The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider like the individual sensitivity, animal size and chocolate concentration.

On average,
Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per oz.
Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz.
Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz.

Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as:
1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate.

So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems.

Clinical Signs

Xanthines affect the nervous system, cardiovascular system and peripheral nerves. It has a diuretic effect as well. Clinical signs:

Hyper excitability
Hyper irritability
Increased heart rate
Restlessness
Increased urination
Muscle tremors
Vomiting
Diarrhea

Treatment

There is no specific antidote for this poisoning. And the half life of the toxin is 17.5 hours in dogs. Induce vomiting in the first 1-2 hours if the quantity is unknown. Administering activated charcoal may inhibit absorption of the toxin. An anticonvulsant might be indicated if neurological signs are present and needs to be controlled. Oxygen therapy, intravenous medications, and fluids might be needed to protect the heart.

Milk chocolate will often cause diarrhea 12-24 hours after ingestion. This should be treated symptomatically (fluids, etc..) to prevent dehydration.

If you suspect your pet has ingested chocolate contact your Vet immediately! They can help you determine the the proper treatment for your pet.

 

Glad you posted this,I've always been almost obsessive about kid's not bringing candy around my dog.I was always afraid my dog would steal the candy.It looks like it takes more than I thought,but I'm still going to try and keep it away.

 

Good Idea. Did not mean for the post to be misleading. Never take a chance. What may not be harmful for one dog, is not necessarily the same for another.

 

China, some good info. I guess it was a common misconception about the choclate thing.lol