Free health calculator
My dog ate chocolate. How much is too much?
Enter their weight, the chocolate and the amount. The answer starts with what to do.
What happened
Your dog, the chocolate and how much
kg
A standard block is 100 g. A small snack bar is about 40 g. If you are not sure, use the larger guess.
g
The dose
Enter your dog's weight and how much was eaten. If your dog has already eaten chocolate and you are worried, do not wait for this page.
Call your vet or an emergency clinic now
If you cannot reach one, the Animal Poisons Helpline answers 24 hours a day on 1300 869 738. Have your dog's weight and what was eaten ready.
General information, not veterinary advice
This is arithmetic from published sources. Speak with your vet about your own pet.
The short answer
Call your vet or an emergency clinic now
If you cannot reach one, the Animal Poisons Helpline answers 24 hours a day on 1300 869 738. Have your dog's weight and what was eaten ready.
The dose is the theobromine your dog ate divided by their weight. A 10 kg dog that ate 100 g of milk chocolate had 100 x 2.3 = 230 mg of methylxanthines, which is 23 mg/kg. That is over the 20 mg/kg level where the reference below reports mild signs, so the advice is to call a vet now. The Animal Poisons Helpline is 1300 869 738.
| Chocolate | Methylxanthines, mg per gram | Grams to reach 20 mg/kg |
|---|---|---|
| Dry cocoa powder | 28.5 | 7 |
| Unsweetened (baking) chocolate | 16 | 13 |
| Dark or semi-sweet chocolate | 5.7 | 35 |
| Milk chocolate | 2.3 | 87 |
| Refined chocolate lollies | 2.1 | 95 |
| White chocolate | insignificant | not applicable |
| Dose | Reported |
|---|---|
| 20 mg/kg | Mild signs: vomiting, diarrhoea |
| 40 to 50 mg/kg | Effects on the heart |
| 60 mg/kg and over | Seizures |
The maths
Every formula behind the answer, so you can check it.
Dose
mg/kg = grams eaten x mg per gram of that chocolate / dog weight in kg
The mg per gram figures are the methylxanthine content in the table above, the higher figure where the source gives a range, because the cautious reading is the right one here.
Bands
under 20 | 20 to under 40 | 40 to under 60 | 60 and over (mg/kg)
The source reports heart effects from 40 to 50 mg/kg. This page uses 40, the lower end, for the same reason.
What it leaves out
- It does not say your dog is safe. A result under 20 mg/kg is still a reason to call your vet if you are unsure, if your dog is very young, unwell or has a heart condition, or if signs appear.
- It works on one kind of chocolate at a time. If your dog ate several, call your vet rather than adding them up here.
- It cannot see what else was in the product. Raisins, macadamia nuts, coffee and the sweetener xylitol are separate dangers.
- Chocolate content varies by brand. A product labelled by cocoa percentage may carry more than the table shows.
- It does not diagnose and does not replace a vet.
Sources
- Kovalkovicova N, Sutiakova I, Pistl J, Sutiak V. Some food toxic for pets. Interdisciplinary Toxicology 2(3), 169 to 176, 2009. Methylxanthine content by chocolate type (Table 1) and dose thresholds (Table 2).
- Animal Poisons Helpline, animalpoisons.com.au/contact, read 5 October 2026: 1300 869 738, open 24 hours.
Questions
Chocolate is one of many everyday dangers in a home with a dog.
See the Animal Poisons Helpline list of common poisons for dogs and cats.