You have removed a chocolate bar from the refrigerator or are about to bite on a delicious cookie loaded with chocolate. Now, your pooch appears from nowhere to grab his share. What would you do? Well, what isn’t harmful to you is toxic for your dog. So refrain from showing affection for your dog by giving him a share of your chocolate. Instead, you need to understand that by this gesture, you could be doing more harm to your dog than good.
Now, coming to the topic, what if your dog eats a chocolate chip cookie lying on the floor or your plate as a leftover? Will he fall sick? What should you do then? Before answering these questions, knowing if dogs can eat chocolate is essential. Why? Or Why not? Read on to learn more.
Can Dogs Eat Chocolate?
No dogs should not eat chocolate at all. Chocolate isn’t toxic to dogs, but the ingredients that go into its making are. Most chocolates have caffeine and theobromine. These components can fasten the heart rate and stimulate the nervous system of dogs. How much chocolate can harm dogs depends on the kind of chocolate he has eaten, the amount consumed, and their overall weight. Dark chocolate, for example, is high in caffeine – around 12 mg of caffeine in 1 ounce of chocolate.
On the other hand, milk chocolate has comparatively a lesser caffeine content – about 5.7 mg in 1 ounce of milk chocolate. That said, milk chocolate is as dangerous to dogs as dark chocolate. They may hurt the dog a little less, but any form of chocolate harms dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Chocolate Chip Cookies?
No, they can’t. Chocolate is not the only ingredient in chocolate chip cookies. It contains other things like flour, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, raisins, nuts, etc. How much harmful the chocolate cookie would be to the dog? Well, this depends on the amount and kind of chocolate it contains. Milk chocolate cookies would pose less harm than the dark chocolate variants.
Note: Chocolate cookies with chocolate chips would have more cocoa and caffeine than plain cookies filled with chocolate chips.
Can a Chocolate Chip Cookie Be Harmful to Dogs
Like chocolates, chocolate chip cookies would also harm dogs, depending on how much your pooch consumed. If he has just nibbled and eaten barely a morsel, then there may not be too much to worry about. However, if your dog gets hold of an entire batch, he could get in trouble.
Your dog’s weight also plays a significant role. A Great Dane eating a small chocolate chip cookie would be less susceptible to chocolate poisoning than a Yorkie or Maltese (eating the same amount). To explain it in detail, one tsp chocolate chip (made of dark chocolate) will weigh about ⅛ ounces. So, if your small dog has eaten just that amount of the chip, it wouldn’t affect him much unless he has underlying allergy issues already.
Most importantly, the kind of chocolate going into making the cookie (as mentioned above) is a crucial factor in how much danger it would pose to the dog.
What to Do When Your Dog Has Eaten Chocolate Chip Cookie?
One or two choco chips in the cookies wouldn’t hurt your dog. However, the sooner you see your dog eating the cookies, the better. You could prevent your dog from eating more cookies when caught early. You can even get in touch with the vet at the earliest. Read on to know what you must do once you have identified that your dog has eaten a chocolate chip cookie.
1. Don’t Panic
The more you panic, the worse things will get for you and your dog. So remain calm. Try to know how many chocolate chip cookies he has eaten and how long it has been since he ate them. If you have seen him having the cookie, that will make things easier for you. Once you’ve noted the basic things, monitor your dog closely. It is for you to judge if he needs a vet’s visit or if just a word of advice from the vet would do.
2. Make Sure that He Doesn’t Eat Anymore of It
If you have spotted your pooch relishing a chocolate chip cookie, immediately remove the source from where it is eating it. In this way, he would not get the scope of overeating. Ensure that all these snacks are inside a tightly-lidded jar and kept safely inside a cupboard, out of your dog’s reach.
3. Get in Touch with Your Vet and Follow His Instructions
Whether your dog has eaten a few chocolate chip cookies or consumed too many of them doesn’t matter. It is always necessary to seek a vet’s advice. You would need to provide the vet with complete details. These include your dog’s weight, what type of cookies your dog ate, the packaging container’s ingredients, and much more.
It would be even better if you managed to get hold of the packet from which the dog ate the cookies. When describing to the vet what type of chocolate chip cookie your dog ate, this would benefit. You should even check whether the cookie had raisins and nuts. They are also considered toxic to dogs. If your dog doesn’t seem well to you and is in physical discomfort, then a vet’s checkup is the need of the hour.
How to Prevent Your Dog From Eating Chocolate Chip Cookies (Or Other Food Products Containing Chocolate)
True that a single choco chip cookie wouldn’t do too much damage to your dog when eaten in moderation. Yet, it is better to keep these goodies out of their way altogether. It would prevent any unpleasant occurrences. The following are some of the things you can do to refrain your dog from eating chocolate chip cookies.
1. Keep Them Away From Their Reach
Not just the chocolate chip cookies, but keep all other edibles with chocolate where the dog cannot reach them. Tables, purses, or countertops are locations where your dog can easily access the item. Moreover, be extra cautious during the holiday season, when chocolates and candies lie everywhere.
For instance, while stuffing chocolates inside Christmas stockings or in bags during the trick-or-treat custom, ensure you place them in locations difficult for your dog to reach. Moreover, after your meal, ensure you don’t leave the plate on the table with all the leftovers. Also, if you have your dog by your side during your meal, don’t give him chocolate as a treat. Keep something alternative at hand that you can give your dog then.
2. Teach Your Dog the “Leave it” Command
Command training is essential for dogs from the time they are puppies. The more they follow commands, the better they become when it comes to being obedient. When you teach your dog the ‘Leave it’ command, they will eventually learn to leave things they are about to pick up from the floor or ground. It’s how you can teach your dog the ‘leave it’ command:
- Take two different types of treatment, one less appealing and one highly appealing.
- Place the treats in your hands (one in each)
- If using a clicker, hold the clicker in hand, having the treat of high value.
- Now, place both your hands back.
- Then, allow your dog to sniff the hand with the less appealing treat.
- Give the command ‘Leave it’ and wait for your pet to finish sniffing your hand.
- Then, say ‘Yes’ and let out your other hand having the high-value treat.
- Repeat the same exercise, and make him sniff the hand with the high-value treat.
- Say ‘leave it,’ wait for him to stop sniffing, leash him, and then throw the less appealing treat at a distance that is not within your dog’s reach.
- He will pull at the treat and even sniff it. Wait till he stops, and then offer him the more appealing treat, this time as a reward.
- Repeat this exercise a couple of times. In this way, he would learn that when asked to let go of a particular food, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t get anything. There would be something better waiting for him.
So, when you ask him to leave the chocolate chip cookie lying on the floor, see if he follows your command. If he does, offer him a better treat that your dog would like and is nutritious.
3. Train Your Dog to Stay in a Crate
Your dog can move around the house when you are around to take care. However, when you aren’t there to supervise their whereabouts, it is better your dog learns how to live in a crate for his safety. Crate training your dog since his puppy days would help your dog get accustomed to a crate life.
Make the living conditions of the crate favorable. It must be big and spacious, with comfortable bedding and your dog’s favorite toys. He then wouldn’t roam around everywhere and pick up whatever he found on the floor when left unsupervised.
What are the Symptoms of Chocolate Poisoning?
If your dog has eaten a lot of chocolate chip cookies in one go, he is likely to have symptoms of chocolate poisoning. The severity depends on the type of chocolate he ate and his weight. The symptoms may appear between 6 and 12 hours of eating the chocolate, lasting up to 72 hours. Common signs of chocolate poisoning include restlessness, vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal heart rate, seizures, and in extreme cases, death. Chocolate poisoning could lead to sudden death if you have a senior dog with heart ailments.
What Will the Veterinarian Do?
After checking your dog, the vet might induce vomiting if it consumed a chocolate chip cookie or anything else with chocolate around 2-3 hours back. He might even give your pet activated charcoal. It would prevent toxins from getting absorbed into the bloodstream and helps to remove them from the body. However, try this remedy at home, only with a vet’s advice. Dogs with seizures may need overnight supervision at the clinic.
FAQ’s
Can a dog die from eating a chocolate chip cookie?
It’s usually unlikely unless the dog has overeaten the chocolate and has been left untreated for a long time. Also, eating even a few cookies could be harmful if your dog has any underlying conditions like a heart ailment or seizures.
Is there any alternative to chocolate chip cookies that you can give your dog?
Carob is a good substitute for chocolate. It looks like chocolate but lacks theobromine, added fat, and added sugar. It is safe for dogs to eat. So, the next time you have a choco chip cookie, you could bake a carob cookie for your pooch to make him happy.
Conclusion
So, the next time you think of pampering your pooch with a choco chip cookie on your plate, consider the harm it could cause the latter. Instead, you would do well to choose an alternative to chocolates that would satisfy his taste and, at the same time, be safe for him.
Heather Abraham is a professional blogger who owns two dogs, a cat, a parrot, and a leopard gecko. She has a connection with animals since she was a child. She shares her love for all pet breeds and provides information on pet food, toys, medications, beds, and everything else.
She is committed to learning about the internal workings of animals. Her work permits her to work closely with knowledgeable vets and obtain practical expertise in animal care. When she is not working, her love of animals continues in her writing. Her goal is to educate and uplift readers who also have a passion for animals through her writing.