Accidental Chocolate Consumption

[DanaeJess]

My (almost) 3 yr old male, Pascal, just found a mini M&M... I managed to get it away from him, but not before he ate almost half of it. How concerned should I be and what steps, if any, should I take?

[SammysMom]

Don't be concerned...he will be fine. Perhaps a bit jumpier, but otherwise just happy.

[DanaeJess]

Whew! I can breathe easy again. :) Thank you!

[SammysMom]

:Love_Icon

[island rehabber]

Dogs are extremely allergic to chocolate but rodents seem to be able to handle small amounts. :thumbsup

[missPixy]

So interesting~~ I read a bit about this very topic over the weekend.

As Sammy's Mom and IR said, rodents have the same tolerance level as humans to theobromine (the caffeine-like alkaloid found in chocolate). Dogs have a very low tolerance (according to their weight/amount of chocolate consumed) and so often have a very adverse reaction after eating chocolate. Cats also have a very low tolerance, but because they literally can't taste the "sweetness" of the chocolate, they tend to not be attracted to or eat much of it in the first place.

The processed chocolate found in commercial candies such as M&Ms are generally very low in theobromine content versus what's found in dark chocolate and unsweetened baker's chocolate.

btw, the LD50 for chocolate consumption in humans, mice and rats is 1,000mg/kg. for dogs, the rule of thumb is 1 oz of chocolate per pound of dog's weight is considered a lethal dose.