Chocolate Toxicity

Chocolate may be Canada’s favorite flavor. We like chocolate candy, ice cream, chocolate drinks, and chocolate cakes, just about anything with chocolate. Although chocolate is a delicious treat for us, it is toxic and can be life threatening for our furry family members.

Chocolate contains theobromine which is very toxic to pets. Ingestion of theobromine can cause symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hyperactivity, tremors, seizures, increased heart rate and even death in severe cases. Dark chocolate is the worst, followed by semi sweet, then milk chocolate, then chocolate flavored cakes or cookies along with white chocolate.

Also a concern can be the fat content in most chocolate treats which can lead to pancreatitis. Symptoms can be vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal discomfort.

If chocolate was eaten, contact your veterinarian! We can tell whether or not the amount ingested is likely to be a concern. Make sure to have the packaging with type of chocolate and weight available so you can let us know. In some instances the pet may need emergency care and it is possible to induce vomiting; otherwise, hospitalization and support are needed until the chocolate has worked its way out of the system.