Why do dogs get poisoned when they eat chocolate? Theobromine is a toxic ingredient in chocolate. Humans can metabolize theobromine easily, but cats and dogs metabolize theobromine much more slowly, so it is easy to accumulate in the body to a toxic level. Compared with small dogs, large dogs can generally tolerate more chocolate. A small amount of chocolate may only make dogs feel stomach upset, vomiting or diarrhea. A large amount of theobromine can cause muscle tremor, spasm, arrhythmia, internal bleeding or heart disease. The typical symptom of theobromine poisoning is severe ADHD.
How much chocolate a dog eats will kill him. Different types of chocolate have different theobromine content. Cooking chocolate and dark chocolate have the highest theobromine content, while milk chocolate and white chocolate have relatively less theobromine content. Therefore, when dealing with dark and bitter chocolate, the owner must be optimistic about his greedy dog. Less than 30 grams of dark chocolate is enough to poison a 44-pound dog. Vomiting within two hours after eating chocolate is a common treatment for theobromine poisoning. So, if the owner is worried that the dog may have eaten a lot of chocolate, call the vet as soon as possible.