Can dogs eat chocolate?
Updated 5 August 2026
No. Chocolate is toxic to dogs because of theobromine, a stimulant dogs metabolise far more slowly than we do. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is, and cocoa powder is the worst of all. Anything beyond a stolen crumb is worth a call to your vet.
If your dog has eaten chocolate
Note your dog's weight, the chocolate type and the amount missing, wrappers included, then ring your vet straight away. Do not make your dog vomit unless a vet tells you to, and do not wait for symptoms. Out of hours, call Vets Now or the Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509000.
The detail
Theobromine is the problem, with caffeine playing a supporting part. A human clears theobromine in a few hours; a dog takes the best part of a day, so the dose builds instead of passing through.
How dangerous an incident is depends on three things: your dog's weight, the type of chocolate and the amount eaten. A labrador that steals a milk chocolate button is in a very different situation from a terrier that eats a bar of 85 percent dark.
Symptoms usually appear four to 24 hours after eating, per Vets Now. That delay is a trap: a dog that seems fine an hour after raiding the selection box has proven nothing, which is why vets want the phone call before the symptoms, not after.
Theobromine doses for a 10kg dog (MSD Veterinary Manual figures)
| Mild signs threshold | Around 20mg per kg, so 200mg totalVomiting, diarrhoea, restlessness |
| Milk chocolate (2.3mg/g) | Around 90g reaches the mild thresholdRoughly two standard 45g bars |
| Dark chocolate (5.3 to 5.6mg/g) | Around 35 to 40gA third of a 100g bar |
| Cocoa powder (28.5mg/g) | Around 7gAbout two teaspoons |
| Cardiac signs | 40 to 50mg per kgRacing or irregular heartbeat |
| Seizures | 60mg per kg and above |
| White chocolate (0.04mg/g) | Negligible theobromineFat and sugar are the only real issue |
Milk chocolate
Milk chocolate carries around 2.3mg of theobromine per gram, per the MSD Veterinary Manual. That is the mildest of the true chocolates, but a 10kg dog still only needs around 90g, roughly two standard bars, to reach the threshold for vomiting and restlessness.
Selection boxes and advent calendars are almost all milk chocolate, which is why most UK cases involve it. Foil wrappers do not put dogs off, and swallowed foil usually passes but is worth mentioning to your vet.
Dark chocolate and cocoa powder
Dark chocolate holds 5.3 to 5.6mg of theobromine per gram, more than double milk chocolate, and high-cocoa baking chocolate sits higher still at around 15.5mg per gram. A few squares of 85 percent dark is a genuine emergency for a small dog.
Cocoa powder is the most concentrated form of the lot at around 28.5mg per gram. About 7g, roughly two teaspoons, carries a symptomatic dose for a 10kg dog, so a raided baking cupboard or a licked-out brownie bowl deserves the same urgency as a stolen bar.
White chocolate
White chocolate is the exception on theobromine: at around 0.04mg per gram, the MSD Veterinary Manual calls it a negligible source. A dog would need a physically impossible amount to be poisoned by it.
That does not make it a treat. The fat and sugar can still cause vomiting, diarrhoea and, in dogs prone to it, pancreatitis, so a stolen white chocolate bar means watching for an upset stomach rather than ringing about poisoning.
How much chocolate is dangerous?
The MSD Veterinary Manual's thresholds run from mild signs at around 20mg of theobromine per kg of body weight, through heart effects at 40 to 50mg per kg, to seizures at 60mg per kg and above. The table above translates those figures into real amounts for a 10kg dog.
Halve the amounts for a 5kg dog and double them for a 20kg one. Vets Now's own rule of thumb is to consult a vet once a dog has eaten 3.5g of dark chocolate, or 14g of milk chocolate, per kg of body weight.
These numbers are for triage, not reassurance. Cocoa content varies between products, dogs vary in sensitivity, and the safe move at any dose you are unsure about is the phone.
My dog ate chocolate: what to do now
Get three facts together: your dog's weight, the type of chocolate and how much is actually missing, counting wrappers. Then ring your vet with those details, even if your dog seems completely normal.
Vets Now publishes a free online chocolate toxicity calculator that uses the same three inputs, which is useful while you wait for the phone to be answered. It does not replace the call.
Do not make your dog vomit at home, and do not wait to see how they seem. Treatment started early, while the chocolate is still in the stomach, is simpler and cheaper than treating a poisoned dog the next morning.
Signs to watch for
- Vomiting or diarrhoea, sometimes with blood
- Restlessness, panting and a racing heart
- Muscle tremors, wobbliness or seizures after larger amounts
Common questions
My dog ate one square of milk chocolate. Do I need the vet?
One square of milk chocolate is below the harm threshold for all but the tiniest dogs, so watch and carry on. If your dog is very small, or the square was dark chocolate, ring your vet with the weight and the cocoa percentage.
How long after eating chocolate will a dog get sick?
Vets Now puts it at four to 24 hours after eating. Seeming fine in the first hour means nothing, which is why the vet call comes before the symptoms.
How much chocolate can kill a dog?
The MSD Veterinary Manual reports seizures from 60mg of theobromine per kg, which a small dog can reach with under 30g of dark chocolate. Deaths are rare with prompt treatment, and that is the argument for ringing early.
My dog ate chocolate cake or brownies. Same rules?
Yes, because the cocoa is what counts, and brownies are dense with it. Ring your vet with your dog's weight and a guess at the cocoa content, and mention any raisins or nuts in the recipe.
What will the vet actually do?
For recent ingestion, usually induced vomiting followed by activated charcoal. Higher doses mean heart monitoring, fluids and medication for tremors or arrhythmias, sometimes overnight.
Are chocolate-flavoured dog treats safe?
Proper dog treats use carob, which has no theobromine, so yes. Check the label says carob or a dog-safe chocolate substitute rather than real cocoa.