Though Easter is a joyous time of year, with the long weekend and celebrations with food, it is also yet another holiday surrounded by chocolate. This holiday can especially be dangerous for our dogs, as traditionally we hide chocolate throughout the house. The Easter bunny is very good at his job, but sometimes we can forget or miss some pieces so cleverly hidden. Remember that our dogs have better noses than us, and the prize is delicious to us, but poisonous to them.

The seriousness of chocolate poisoning can vary. The amount and kind of chocolate consumed, and the size of your dog can play a big part.

“The seriousness of the poisoning will depend on the amount, type and quality of the chocolate eaten.  Generally speaking, the darker the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains, and therefore the more poisonous it is. White chocolate contains very little theobromine and although it is unlikely to cause theobromine poisoning, it is still very fatty and can make your dog ill.” (The Kennel Club)

News.com had a similar take from their research and quote from veterinarian Dr Conradi.

“First of all, it depends on whether it is milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Dark chocolate has much higher concentrations of those toxic compounds. Secondly, it comes down to the size of the dog. For instance, take a little French Bulldog, a small breed dog approximately between 5-10kgs. If they were to have, say, a medium size Easter bunny made out of dark chocolate, that might contain 75-100g of chocolate, that would be enough to result in death or severe symptoms.

Whereas, if you take a Labrador, so a 30kg dog, to cause those really severe clinical signs they might need between 300-400g. That would equate to eating three or four of those medium Easter bunnies.” (news.com.au)

Easter is when most cases of dogs eating chocolate occurs, and it is important to take it seriously if they do get into your Easter basket. Do not wait to see if it passes! Look for the signs. Many dogs will gradually get more hyper, and they will also begin panting more than usual. Look for evidence to get and idea of how much and what type of chocolate was consumed. Most importantly, get them to the vet!

The emergency vet in our region is located in Cambridge, 405 Maple Grove Road #14. You can reach them by phone at (519) 626-0335.

Remember to remind the Easter bunny to hide the chocolate in higher places, or to only hide them in a room that isn’t accessible to the dog. Keep the dog and the chocolate very separate. The last thing we want is an emergency vet bill during the holidays! Put the safety of your pet first!