# Advice - dog ate a box of chocolates



## Archie11 (Oct 2, 2011)

I'm always so careful when we leave the house but my DD had a chocolate when we left and I didn't see her....she left the box of Celebrations on the table..we were only about one hour but the dog ate the whole box with the wrappers... i'm really worried..do i need to give him something? we're travelling tomorrow by car for a long trip and i'm panicking a bit.... any advice welcome (well except the one don't leave chocolates around.. I so know that!) thanks a lot...


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## fluffybunny2001 (Feb 8, 2008)

contact your vet and get their advice.


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## Jugsmalone (Apr 11, 2011)

Ring your vets. Tell them how much chocolate the dog has ate and the dogs weight and they will be able to advise whether or not the dog needs to see a vet.


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## henry (Mar 16, 2009)

Archie11 said:


> I'm always so careful when we leave the house but my DD had a chocolate when we left and I didn't see her....she left the box of Celebrations on the table..we were only about one hour but the dog ate the whole box with the wrappers... i'm really worried..do i need to give him something? we're travelling tomorrow by car for a long trip and i'm panicking a bit.... any advice welcome (well except the one don't leave chocolates around.. I so know that!) thanks a lot...


Vets now if I were you..... as you probably know chocolates can be dangerous to dogs, albeit it mainly dark chocolate, but combined with all the wrappings, there could be an obstruction. Vet will probably give your dog something to make him sick, but I would take him to the Vets immediately..... especially in view of the fact that he's eaten the whole lot. Good luck!


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## Manoy Moneelil (Sep 1, 2011)

The chocolate content is probably not high enough to do any long term damage, but this is based on the *assumption* that a dog big enough to get on a table has a large enough body mass to deal with minimal toxic load per Kg for the vegetable fat laden chocolates consumed. Smaller the dog greater the problem.

The wrappers would be of more concern and ensuring that they pass would be a priority. Discussion with a vet would be best considering that you intend to travel as any induction of clearing the intestine would not make for a pleasant car journey for anyone.

A lesson learned?


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## swarthy (Apr 24, 2010)

Speak to the vets, they will be able to calculate from the information given the 'risk' factor - one of my girls ate a box of belgian chocolates (courtesy of my daughter dropping them on the floor and then just leaving them in the bin !!! ) - along with several out of date salads, over-ripe bananas and various other things 

The vets felt the chocolate intake shouldnt cause a problem - but they gave us a paste which limits / prevents absorption.

The trouble with chocolates and dogs is that although there is a recognised 'danger' level - there will always be those with tolerances both above and below those levels - which is why it is so important to get professional advice on something like this - I have known of some dogs to get very ill on even the smallest amount of chocolate  

Hope everything is OK


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## Jugsmalone (Apr 11, 2011)

How is your dog today? did you take him to the vets?


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## Tollisty (May 27, 2008)

Chester once ate a box of roses and a whole chocolate orange! He managed to get upstairs when we were out. The vet wanted to see him and made him sick and kept him in for a few hours just to make sure.


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## mrsimpson85 (Sep 13, 2011)

1 of mine ate a box of roses a while back, the chocolates weren't too much of a problem for her but the wrappers inflamed the walls of her stomach so that every time she ate or drank, she would throw up or have diarrhoea. 
I would definitely get her checked by a vet as mine need medication and a special diet for a few weeks.


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## Argent (Oct 18, 2009)

I recently had to take my friend's dog to the vets as he'd eaten 50g of 85% dark chocolate while they were out. He had to be given an injection to throw up, then take activated charcoal to bind the remaining toxins.

I know Celebrations and that don't have anywhere near as high a cocoa content, but I'd be worried about the sheer amount and the wrappers too. Call the vet if you haven't already.


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## Manoy Moneelil (Sep 1, 2011)

Just a point of information: _Activated_ charcoal is just normal charcoal that has been powered to increase the surface area. You can use burnt wood that has no chemical treatment before or after burning.


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

My dogs have eaten loads of chocolate over the years - not the two I have now as I dont eat chocolate. But whole boxes have disappeared in the past with no ill effects.
When I worked for a vet it was not even considered to be an issue and I have spoken to my vet about it - having only heard of it on here as being such a huge issue, and she laughed and said they would have to eat a huge amount to cause a problem

I do remember when I was little getting those good boy chocolate drops for the dogs because it was not good for them to have human chocolates. We used to give all the dogs smarties though as well.


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## Guinevere13 (Mar 31, 2008)

I know what you mean Blitz - my dogs got all sorts and didn't seem to have any ill effects. However, my Greyhound managed to steal a box of chocolate biscuits and I really suffered from his ill effects! It was squirted all up the passage walls!


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## Manoy Moneelil (Sep 1, 2011)

Blitz said:


> My dogs have eaten loads of chocolate over the years...


I think that over the past 15 years or so there has developed a greater consumer awareness of what "chocolate" is leading to manufacturers producing chocolate sweets and bars with higher coco solids to met these demands compared to the mostly sugar and fat 'chocolate' sweets sold in the past.

If a large dog were to eat a dropped unwrapped sweet from a tin of Quality Street there would be little cause for concern, however a bar of Green & Black's 85% consumed by a small dog might produce different results.

As raised in another thread I believe that different breeds/dogs will vary their reaction to chocolate dependant on the genes that they carry. So with the genetic in-breeding that has resulted in different pedigrees some will be more at risk than others. The same risk will apply to effect of grapes etc.


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

Manoy Moneelil said:


> I think that over the past 15 years or so there has developed a greater consumer awareness of what "chocolate" is leading to manufacturers producing chocolate sweets and bars with higher coco solids to met these demands compared to the mostly sugar and fat 'chocolate' sweets sold in the past.
> 
> If a large dog were to eat a dropped unwrapped sweet from a tin of Quality Street there would be little cause for concern, however a bar of Green & Black's 85% consumed by a small dog might produce different results.
> 
> As raised in another thread I believe that different breeds/dogs will vary their reaction to chocolate dependant on the genes that they carry. So with the genetic in-breeding that has resulted in different pedigrees some will be more at risk than others. The same risk will apply to effect of grapes etc.


It really can vary. I know of two dogs that have got to the Christmas cake with very different results; a Jack Russell who had horrendous digestive upset but nothing much worse than that and a colleague at work's Bullmastiff who tragically died. I believe that it's always worth a phone call to the vet at least.....better safe than sorry.


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