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Don't wait for symptoms. If your dog has eaten chocolate, call us. 0131 516 2499
Emergency reference

Chocolate & dogs
how much is too much?

Chocolate contains theobromine, which dogs clear from their system far more slowly than we do. Whether it matters depends on three things: how much they ate, how dark it was, and how big they are. This works out the dose so you know how urgent it is — but ring us either way.

This is for dogs. Cats are more sensitive to theobromine and the doses below don't apply to them. If a cat has eaten chocolate, please just ring us — don't use this.

A rough figure is fine. If you're not sure, use the last weight from our scales — or estimate low, so the result errs on the cautious side.

Not sure? Pick the darkest it could have been.

grams

Rough guide: a chocolate button ≈ 1g · a small treat-size bar ≈ 20g · a standard bar ≈ 45g · a sharing bar ≈ 100–200g · a small hollow Easter egg ≈ 100g · a box of chocolates ≈ 200g. If in doubt, estimate high.

Worth knowing

  • The wrapper and foil matter too. Tell us if any was swallowed — packaging can cause a blockage even when the chocolate itself doesn't.
  • Raisin, sultana or fruit-and-nut chocolate is a double problem. Raisins can cause sudden kidney failure in dogs at unpredictable doses, and that risk is often the greater of the two. Say so when you ring.
  • Signs can take hours to appear. Vomiting, restlessness, a racing heart, tremors and seizures may not show up straight away — and treatment works best before they do.
  • Don't try to make your dog sick unless we've told you to. There is a safe way to do it and we'd rather do it here.
  • A low number is not an all-clear. These figures are averages. Small dogs, puppies, older dogs and dogs with heart conditions are all affected at lower doses.
Back to the full poisons & toxins guide

This calculator is a guide to how urgent things are — it is not a diagnosis and it doesn't replace veterinary advice. Theobromine content varies between products, so treat the result as an estimate. If you are in any doubt at all, call us. The Veterinary Wellness Centre.

Not sure if your pet needs to be seen? Use our clinical triage tool for guidance on urgency — with time-aware, out-of-hours advice. Is my pet okay? Could my pet be in pain? Animals hide pain remarkably well. Our quick at-home check walks you through the subtle signs in dogs and cats. Try the pain check Think your pet ate something? The common household and garden dangers, the signs to watch for, and how to act fast. Poison & toxins guide A picture is worth a thousand words A short video of your pet at home — how they move, how they hesitate — tells us more than a description. Send it securely before your visit. Send a video or photo