How Much Milk Chocolate Can A Dog Eat
Introduction
If you’ve ever left a chocolate bar in your pocket, forgotten a bag of M&Ms on the counter, or stepped away from an open box of See’s Candies to answer the door, then you know that dogs are really good at finding sweet treats. Dogs find chocolate because they’re driven by sight and scent – two senses that humans simply don’t have. As such, pet parents need to be extra vigilant about keeping their furry friends safe during the holidays (and all year round). That being said, it’s important to understand why chocolate is bad for our dogs and what exactly can happen if they eat too much of it. In this article we’ll break down:
How much chocolate can a dog eat?
Chocolate is not good for dogs, but it is possible to give your dog a small amount of dark chocolate.
A dog can eat chocolate and get sick from it, but eating too much chocolate can be fatal to dogs.
The darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is for a dog. So if you’re giving your pet some of this sweet treat, keep it as small as possible and don’t give them any milk or white chocolate at all!
How much chocolate should you give?
How much chocolate can a dog eat? The short answer is: not much. Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, both stimulants that increase blood pressure and heart rate in dogs. Milk chocolate has less of these substances than dark chocolate, but it still contains enough to be potentially toxic to dogs.
A dog should not be fed any chocolate whatsoever, as even small amounts can kill them within 24 hours. However, if you’re someone who likes to give their dog treats after dinner every night (and we don’t blame you!), here are some guidelines on how much milk chocolate your pet should consume at one time:
- 1/2 ounce or less per pound of body weight
- 1 ounce or less per 10 pounds of body weight
What happens if I give my dog too much chocolate?
If you give your dog too much chocolate, they will most likely develop serious health issues including death. The symptoms of chocolate poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst and urination, increased panting (breathing), increased heart rate and body temperature.
Dogs and chocolate are not a good combination.
Chocolate is toxic to dogs. Theobromine, the chemical in chocolate that makes it so tasty to humans, has toxic effects on dogs. Dogs have a much higher concentration of theobromine in their systems than humans do and even small amounts can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and even death.
Please be careful when feeding your dog chocolate as it is easy to over-indulge and cause harm!
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, chocolate is harmful to dogs, and giving them too much can be fatal. The best thing to do when it comes to your canine friend’s chocolate intake is to avoid it altogether. If you know that you have a bag of candy lying around the house or office, make sure it’s out of reach from curious noses (or paws) so that they don’t get into any trouble while exploring their environment. And if they do end up accidentally eating something, there are a few ways to tell if your pup has had too much cocoa bean goodness before calling the vet right away—either by looking for signs like vomiting or diarrhea immediately after ingesting chocolate products or checking for lethargy and seizures long term over time.