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Nothing’s better than a chocolate chip cookie just warm out of the oven. They smell heavenly, and you can’t stop yourself from eating just one with a tall glass of cold milk. As you enjoy your chocolate chip cookie, you glance down and see your dog sitting at your feet. He has an imploring look on his face and is drooling. He’s asking you to share your chocolate chip cookie! But is this safe to give your dog?
It can also happen that a plate of chocolate chip cookies is left on the table. Your dog happens to walk by and notices no one is there. Wow, this is his chance to grab something yummy to eat. If he’s like most dogs, your fur baby may take more than one cookie. But what happens when a dog eats chocolate chip cookies?
These are the questions we’ll review in this article! If your dog has eaten a chocolate chip cookie, read on to learn whether these yummy snacks can make a dog sick. Let’s get started!
What to Do If Your Dog Has a Chocolate Chip Cookie?
We’re going to answer this question right away before we get into why chocolate chip cookies are toxic for dogs. The main problem is the chocolate (read on to learn why).
If your dog has eaten one or more chocolate chip cookies, call the vet immediately. This is a life-threatening emergency. The sooner your fur baby’s treated, the better his chances of making a complete recovery.
Take These Steps
- Be sure to remove any cookies your dog is trying to eat and remove all other chocolate chip cookies from the area.
- Were the cookies homemade or store-bought? If they were store-bought, check the packaging to see what ingredients are in the coolies. You may want to take a picture of the ingredient label to send to your vet so they can calculate the toxicity of the chocolate your canine companion has eaten.
- Check your dog’s symptoms; if he’s just eaten the cookies, he may not show any symptoms immediately. However, if your dog ate the cookies a while ago, you may notice these symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Excessive drooling
- Hyperactivity
- Racing heart
- Increased thirst
- Panting
- Excessive urination
- Muscle tremors
- Seizures
- Heart failure
Even if your dog isn’t showing symptoms, it’s best to call the vet right away. When a dog receives fast treatment, he has a much better chance of making a full recovery after eating chocolate chip cookies.
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Ask a Vet Live NowWhy are Chocolate Chip Cookies Toxic to Dogs?
One of the main ingredients in chocolate chip cookies is chocolate chips. The chocolate in the chips contains two toxic substances to dogs: theobromine and caffeine. A dog’s system is not made to metabolize these substances. That means the caffeine and the theobromine stay in the dog’s system longer than in a human’s system.
When caffeine and theobromine stay around in the dog’s system, they can cause the dog’s heart to race, his blood vessels to dilate, and make him urine more. In addition, these substances can also relax smooth muscles, leading to muscle tremors and seizures. If a dog doesn’t receive treatment within 24 hours, he could die.
In some cases of chocolate poisoning, a dog may need to be hospitalized until he’s stable. The vet will treat the dog with activated charcoal, induce vomiting, or use other methods to remove the chocolate from the canine’s system. The dog may also require an IV for fluids and to make it easier to administer other medications he may need.
Chocolate is not good for dogs at all, and pet parents need to keep all chocolate out of their dogs’ reach.
Chocolate is Dose-Dependent
The one good thing we can tell you is that chocolate toxicity is dose-dependent. That means the toxicity depends on how much chocolate a dog eats and the type of chocolate he eats. With that in mind, if your dog has eaten one chocolate chip, chances are he will be just fine.
We can also tell you that most cases of chocolate ingestion don’t end in death and that most dogs who eat a chocolate chip cookie will be OK. However, if they have eaten many cookies and don’t receive fast treatment, the prognosis can become more serious.
How Much Chocolate is Toxic to Dogs?
The amounts of theobromine and caffeine vary with each type of chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the higher the level of theobromine and caffeine.
For instance, baking chocolate usually contains about 130 to 450 mg of theobromine per ounce. Milk chocolate usually contains 44 to 58 mg per ounce.
Other Concerns with Chocolate Chip Cookies
In addition to chocolate chips, you also need to be concerned about other ingredients in chocolate chip cookies. These, like other cookies, tend to contain high amounts of sugar and fat. These ingredients can cause pancreatitis and other health issues in dogs. They can also cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs that have sensitive stomachs.
Alternative Cookies for Dogs
If your dog has a penchant for eating chocolate chip cookies, it can be challenging to keep him away from these yummy treats! However, there is an alternative cookie treat that’s safe and healthy for dogs!
We found a recipe for Not-Chocolate Chip Cookies that use carob chips rather than chocolate chips. Carob is entirely safe for dogs and tastes very much like chocolate!
Here’s the recipe your fur baby can safely enjoy!
Not-Chocolate Chip Cookies for Dogs
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup coconut flour (you can also use the flour of your choice—but avoid wheat flour if your dog is allergic to it)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil of your choice)
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter (no sugar added is best—read the label to ensure the peanut butter does not contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs)
- ½ cup unsweetened carob chips
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together coconut flour and baking soda.
- Stir in eggs, coconut oil, and peanut butter. The dough should be crumbly; however, it will hold together if you squeeze the dough into a ball. If the dough doesn’t hold together, add a little more peanut butter or a ½ teaspoon of water and mix.
- Squeeze the dough together to form teaspoon-sized dough balls.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes and then remove them from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet.
- When the cookies are safely cooled down, they’re ready to serve to your dog! Let him enjoy one now and store the rest in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.
Summing It Up
So, there you have it! Never give your dog chocolate chip cookies, as they can be toxic and make your canine companion very sick.
And if your dog loves chocolate chip cookies, try baking the easy no-chocolate chip cookie recipe in this article! We’re pretty sure your dog will love these even more than regular chocolate chip cookies! And they’re completely safe for your fur baby!
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Julie
Julie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she studied Animal science. Though contrary to the opinion of her parents she was meant to study pharmacy, but she was in love with animals especially cats. Julie currently works in an animal research institute (NGO) in California and loves spending quality time with her little cat. She has the passion for making research about animals, how they survive, their way of life among others and publishes it. Julie is also happily married with two kids.
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