23/12/2025
Time to lock the chocolate away, from pets only obviously, we hope you enjoy your chocolate treats! 😋
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How much chocolate is too much chocolate?
🍫 Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which can affect the heart and the central nervous system, resulting in hyperactivity, a high heart rate, high blood pressure and high body temperature, as well as tremors.
🍫Theobromine is toxic to most animals, but dogs appear to be particularly sensitive.
🍫 Chocolate and chocolate-containing products can also contain a large amount of sugar, dairy and fat which can cause vomiting, diarrhea and potentially pancreatitis.
🍫 Cocoa powder has a very large amount of theobromine per gram, meaning only a small amount needs to be ingested before there is a risk of toxicity.
🍫 Dark chocolate contains more theobromine per gram than milk chocolate, making it much more of a toxicity risk.
🍫White chocolate contains such an insignificant amount of theobromine that a toxicity is very low risk, and a large ingestion is only likely to cause a gastrointestinal upset.
🍫Signs of a theobromine toxicity can occur 2-12 hours post ingestion.
So what should you do if your pet ingests chocolate this Christmas? 🎄🐶🐱
☎️ Call the Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509000 ☎️
We can calculate the amount of theobromine your pet has been exposed to and the specific risks involved.
There are many cases where animals do not consume enough chocolate to pose a toxicity risk, so we always recommend seeking advice.
