Engineering and fabrication

Can a dog die from eating malted milk balls?

After easter my dog got into my malted milk ball and started to eat them. I am not so sure how many he ate, but I wanted to know if dogs could die from eating them?

Public Comments

1. Yes, a dog can die from chocolate. It depends on the dog's weight, age, overall health, and how much it ate. Call your doc and ask them if he should be seen.


2. chocolate is poisonous for dogs. how big is your dog?


3. no..he won't die.. but choclate should not be given to dogs, as dogs are naturally diabetic.


4. How long ago was this?

   We don't have enough information to answer the question - if it was just now, that would be important, but if it was last Tuesday, you already have your answer.

   It is also important as to the age and weight of the dog, and how many she ate.

   Malted milk balls are really just a bunch of sugar, and hardly have any chocolate in them - so the sugar would be the concern.

   If it's a Labraodr and she ate a handful or two, she'll most likely be fine - it's a diabetic Chihuahua, it's a different discussion.



5. Only if it gets stuck in his throat and cuts off his oxygen!


6. Depends on the immune system of the dogs and the type of chocolate. Size of the dog plays a tiny factor, but I have seen big dogs die from very small amounts of chocolate, and small dogs live after eating twice that much.

   Since it is a milk chocolate and not dark chocolate, you will probably be fine. Just keep an eye on your dog, if there are no signs of poisoning within a few hours, you should be fine. Signs of poisoning- vomiting, diarrhea, lack of apetite, pain, etc.



7. depends on the size and health and age of your dog. how big is he? what breed?

   call up your vet and tell them what happened and ask if he should be taken in.

   good luck:D



8. Yes and No, keep reading...

   this is pretty much a direct yank of the text from talktothevet.com about this subject.

   The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. This is a xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine, and theophylline.

   Toxic Levels

   The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider like the individual sensitivity, animal size and chocolate concentration.

   On average,

   Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per oz.

   Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz.

   Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz.

   Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as:

   1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate

   1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate

   1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate.

   So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems.

   Clinical Signs

   Xanthines affect the nervous system, cardiovascular system and peripheral nerves. It has a diuretic effect as well. Clinical signs:

   Hyper excitability

   Hyper irritability

   Increased heart rate

   Restlessness

   Increased urination

   Muscle tremors

   Vomiting

   Diarrhea

   Treatment

   There is no specific antidote for this poisoning. And the half life of the toxin is 17.5 hours in dogs. Induce vomiting in the first 1-2 hours if the quantity is unknown. Administering activated charcoal may inhibit absorption of the toxin. An anticonvulsant might be indicated if neurological signs are present and needs to be controlled. Oxygen therapy, intravenous medications, and fluids might be needed to protect the heart.

   Milk chocolate will often cause diarrhea 12-24 hours after ingestion. This should be treated symptomatically (fluids, etc..) to prevent dehydration.

   If you suspect your pet has ingested chocolate contact your Vet immediately! They can help you determine the the proper treatment for your pet.

   --------------

   Hope that helps



9. yes dogs can die from chocolate.

   how much chocolate did he eat?

   you need to take him to the vet and have him checked out.



10. can you guess how much he might have gotten based on what is missing?

    if not that's okay, just call your vet to see what steps he/she thinks you should take, and watch your dog very closely for any reactions.

    dark chocolate is the WORST for dogs, milk chocolate is still bad, but dogs sytstems seem to be more forgiving of milk chocolate than dark. still...watch him like a hawk.



11. Yes, they can. Chocolate is very poisonous to dogs. Same as it is to cats. Other things that are poisonous to dogs and cats are most all household plants and grapes. There are so many things that you have to watch out for because so many things are poisonous to dogs.

    Contact your vet as soon as possible and ask if your dogs will be okay. If your vet doesn't know, ask him when you can bring your dog in.



12. No, that's pretty poor quality chocolate, won't do much harm. When I was growing up we had a corgi who loved malted milk balls, my mom fed her a couple every day.

    It's certianly not ideal food for a dog, don't let her get any more, but a few won't hurt her, as I said, not much real chocolate in milk balls.