How Much Chocolate Is Toxic to Dogs? Chart by Weight

Did your dog eat chocolate? Call your vet now. If your vet is closed, call an emergency animal hospital or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (open 24 hours, a consultation fee may apply). Have ready: your dog's weight, the type of chocolate, how much is missing (keep the wrapper), and roughly when it happened. Do not wait for symptoms and do not try home remedies. Follow your vet's instructions.

Chocolate is dangerous because it contains theobromine and caffeine. The Merck Veterinary Manual reports mild signs in dogs from about 20 mg of these per kg of body weight. The darker and less sweet the chocolate, the less it takes. A 10 kg (22 lb) dog can reach that level with about 35 g of semisweet chocolate, 12 g of baking chocolate or 88 g of milk chocolate. No amount on this page is a "safe" amount: dogs vary, and less than these figures can still make a dog sick.

Toxic doses in mg per kg

Doses from the Merck Veterinary Manual (chocolate toxicosis, reviewed September 2024) and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center:

Dose of theobromine and caffeine	What has been reported
20 mg/kg	Mild signs: vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst
40 to 50 mg/kg	Heart effects (cardiotoxic signs)
60 mg/kg and up	Seizures
100 to 200 mg/kg	Reported lethal dose range (LD50)

Merck notes that severe signs and death can happen at doses well below the lethal range, and that individual dogs differ.

Chart: grams of chocolate that reach each threshold

How much it takes depends on the chocolate. Merck lists these amounts of theobromine plus caffeine: milk chocolate 2.3 mg per gram, semisweet or sweet dark 5.3 to 5.6 mg/g, unsweetened baking chocolate 15.5 mg/g, dry cocoa powder 28.5 mg/g. Merck also gives a 65% cocoa bar as an example at about 10.1 mg/g. White chocolate has very little (0.04 mg/g).

The charts use these Merck values (the higher end for semisweet), which is also what our calculator uses. Grams and ounces are rounded down, and pound weights are rounded (11 lb is 4.99 kg). Treat every cell as an upper limit, not a target.

Mild signs (20 mg/kg)

Dog weight	Milk	Semisweet or sweet dark	65% cocoa dark bar	Unsweetened baking	Cocoa powder
5 kg (11 lb)	44 g (1.5 oz)	17 g (0.6 oz)	9 g (0.3 oz)	6 g (0.2 oz)	3 g (0.1 oz)
10 kg (22 lb)	88 g (3.1 oz)	35 g (1.2 oz)	19 g (0.7 oz)	12 g (0.4 oz)	7 g (0.2 oz)
20 kg (44 lb)	177 g (6.2 oz)	70 g (2.5 oz)	39 g (1.4 oz)	25 g (0.9 oz)	14 g (0.4 oz)
30 kg (66 lb)	265 g (9.3 oz)	106 g (3.7 oz)	59 g (2.1 oz)	38 g (1.3 oz)	21 g (0.7 oz)
40 kg (88 lb)	354 g (12.5 oz)	141 g (5 oz)	79 g (2.8 oz)	51 g (1.8 oz)	28 g (0.9 oz)

Heart effects (40 mg/kg)

Dog weight	Milk	Semisweet or sweet dark	65% cocoa dark bar	Unsweetened baking	Cocoa powder
5 kg (11 lb)	88 g (3.1 oz)	35 g (1.2 oz)	19 g (0.7 oz)	12 g (0.4 oz)	7 g (0.2 oz)
10 kg (22 lb)	177 g (6.2 oz)	70 g (2.5 oz)	39 g (1.4 oz)	25 g (0.9 oz)	14 g (0.4 oz)
20 kg (44 lb)	354 g (12.5 oz)	141 g (5 oz)	79 g (2.8 oz)	51 g (1.8 oz)	28 g (0.9 oz)
30 kg (66 lb)	531 g (18.7 oz)	212 g (7.5 oz)	119 g (4.2 oz)	77 g (2.7 oz)	42 g (1.4 oz)
40 kg (88 lb)	708 g (25 oz)	283 g (10 oz)	158 g (5.6 oz)	103 g (3.6 oz)	56 g (1.9 oz)

Seizure risk (60 mg/kg)

Dog weight	Milk	Semisweet or sweet dark	65% cocoa dark bar	Unsweetened baking	Cocoa powder
5 kg (11 lb)	132 g (4.6 oz)	53 g (1.8 oz)	29 g (1 oz)	19 g (0.6 oz)	10 g (0.3 oz)
10 kg (22 lb)	265 g (9.3 oz)	106 g (3.7 oz)	59 g (2.1 oz)	38 g (1.3 oz)	21 g (0.7 oz)
20 kg (44 lb)	531 g (18.7 oz)	212 g (7.5 oz)	119 g (4.2 oz)	77 g (2.7 oz)	42 g (1.4 oz)
30 kg (66 lb)	797 g (28.1 oz)	318 g (11.2 oz)	178 g (6.3 oz)	115 g (4 oz)	63 g (2.2 oz)
40 kg (88 lb)	1063 g (37.5 oz)	425 g (15 oz)	238 g (8.4 oz)	154 g (5.4 oz)	84 g (2.9 oz)

Labels list cocoa content, not theobromine. A bar with 70% cocoa or more is closer to the 65% column or stronger, not the semisweet one. If you are unsure which column fits, use the stronger one and call your vet.

Use the calculator for an exact estimate

The charts round to fixed weights. For your dog's exact weight and the amount eaten, use the dog chocolate toxicity calculator. It gives a dose estimate and risk level from the same Merck values. More tools for pet owners are in pet calculators, including the dog age calculator.

A calculator result is an estimate, not a diagnosis. If your dog ate chocolate, call your vet whatever the number says.

Symptoms and timing

According to Merck, signs usually start within 6 to 12 hours. Early signs include increased thirst, vomiting, diarrhea, a swollen belly and restlessness. These can progress to hyperactivity, more frequent urination, wobbly walking, stiffness, tremors and seizures. The FDA notes that signs can appear within a few hours. In severe cases, signs can last up to 72 hours, because dogs clear theobromine slowly (Merck gives a half-life of about 17.5 hours). The fat in chocolate can also trigger pancreatitis, which the ASPCA notes can show up 24 to 72 hours later.

FAQ

How much chocolate makes a dog sick? Mild signs have been reported from about 20 mg of theobromine and caffeine per kg of body weight (Merck Veterinary Manual). For a 10 kg dog that is roughly 88 g of milk chocolate, 35 g of semisweet or 12 g of baking chocolate. Some dogs get sick from less.

How much milk chocolate is dangerous for a 10 kg dog? Using Merck values, about 88 g (3.1 oz) of milk chocolate reaches the mild sign level for a 10 kg (22 lb) dog, and about 177 g reaches the level linked to heart effects. Call your vet even for smaller amounts.

How much chocolate is toxic to a 50 lb dog? A 50 lb dog weighs about 22.7 kg. The mild sign level (20 mg/kg) is reached with about 200 g of milk chocolate, 80 g of semisweet, 45 g of a 65% dark bar, 29 g of baking chocolate or 15 g of cocoa powder. Double those amounts reaches the 40 mg/kg level linked to heart effects.

Is dark chocolate worse than milk chocolate for dogs? Yes. By Merck's figures, semisweet and sweet dark chocolate have more than twice the theobromine and caffeine of milk chocolate per gram, and a 65% bar about four times as much. Baking chocolate and cocoa powder are the most concentrated.

What should I do if my dog ate chocolate? Call your vet right away, or an emergency animal hospital or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. Tell them your dog's weight, the chocolate type, how much is missing and when it happened. Do not try home remedies and do not wait for symptoms.

How long until symptoms of chocolate poisoning show? Usually within 6 to 12 hours (Merck), sometimes within a few hours (FDA). Severe cases can last up to 72 hours, and pancreatitis can follow within 24 to 72 hours.