How long for chocolate to leave their system?

[Springersrock]

I think Doggo has managed to eat the best part of a packet of chocolate biscuits.

I found the empty wrapper on the kitchen floor yesterday when I got home from work - didn’t think anything of it and assumed it had fallen out of the bin or something. Until this morning when I find DH searching through the cupboards for the packet of chocolate biscuits - he’d opened a packet on Sunday night, had a few and left them, so he thought, out of reach on the kitchen worktop.

Can only think that the dog has had them.

She’s been fine, no signs of illness at all, no sickness, eaten her dinner and breakfast as usual, poo is normal. I’ve spoken to the vet who says we should be out of the woods by now, it’s too late to make her sick or anything like that anyway, so to keep an eye on her and take her in if she seems off colour.

It must have been about 3/4s of a packet so I’m panicking a bit.

The vet doesn’t want us to take her in - COVID restrictions, etc - otherwise I’d have taken her just in for a bit of reassurance.

I think, from dim and distant memory, that the effects usually show within 6-12 hours.

If it is any consolation my bastard Lab ate an entire Christmas cake I had just baked without ill effect, fingers crossed your girl will be fine too.

One of mine once ate a packet of milk chocolate digestives (he ate through my handbag to get to them ...) and he was fine. Just had to keep an eye out but the vet said it's the cacao bit that's most dangerous and chocolate biscuits don't have that high a percentage in them.

Thanks!

Our old boy ate a whole tray of home made chocolate brownies - he was really ill so it makes me nervous

They were only ASDA chocolate biscuits so we’re not talking too quality chocolate here

I had seen that symptoms usually start between 6-12 hours but not sure how long it could stay in her system.

She’s been absolutely fine so I think we’ve got away with it. I would be happier if I could take her for a once over at the vet but they don’t want me too.

Thanks!

How big is doggo? The bigger the doggo the less to worry (same as humans and alcohol).
Mine ate the best part of a large bar of Bourneville once and i cried my eyes out because it was my fault for leaving it on the counter even though he normally doesnt take stuff off the counter.
He was absolutely fine, he is a big boy though so that may be why.

I think she'll be fine. The chocolate content in biscuits will be v low and if she was going to be ill you'd see signs by now

Thank you!

She’s about 16kg

These are what she had - groceries.asda.com/product/chocolate-biscuits/asda-milk-chocolate-oatie-crumbles/910000424916

DH reckons there was about 3/4s of the packet left

Neither of our dogs have been food oriented and have never stolen food - until it came to chocolate. Little sods. They must have secret extendable necks or something as I’ve no idea how either of them managed to reach

I genuinely think she will be fine cocoa content will be pretty low there! Just keep an eye on her. Maybe mix some boiled white rice with her normal food if you know she can have that? Thats pretty gentle on their stomachs.

Just to reassure you....

There is SO LITTLE CHOCOLATE in chocolate biscuits

We went into this in depth as we eat seriously dark chocolate - 85%... and little woof did indulge in a couple of squares left foolishly in reach.... and we discovered that Vets have access to a chocolate database which tells you what level is dangerous for your dog. Based on weight of dog and amount of cacao in the product they have eaten. Cost us £50 or so but has been really helpful -

For our 5.5kg little fella, 20g of the 85% chocolate we eat is the tipping point for concern ie make them vomit.

So for a bigger dog, or less dark chocolate the amount is much lower.

It's meant we are totally unworried when half a square of chocolate "goes missing" or he eats non-dark chocolate accidentally

So looking at your dog - 16kg - they could have eaten a LOT MORE milk chocolate biscuits than they did without concern...

Horribly anxious making ... and hope you can now relax.

Honestly, a 16kg dog will be fine. There's barely any chocolate in chocolate biscuits. I know it's scary, but generally large dogs fare much better when it comes to stealing food

My beagle is a similar weight and has swiped all sorts in the past - as long as it's not immediately toxic (eg. raisins) I tend to just leave him. This morning he helped himself to a half a discarded burger he found in the street - he thought all his birthdays had come at once

@sunflowersandbuttercups

Mine found a portion of cheesy chips AND a slice of pizza that someone had dropped near mine by mistake! He was a happy boy

[quote Wavescrashingonthebeach]@sunflowersandbuttercups

Mine found a portion of cheesy chips AND a slice of pizza that someone had dropped near mine by mistake! He was a happy boy [/quote]
I don't blame him

I fished the majority of it out (much to his disgust) but he still ended up with ketchup/burger sauce all up his nose!

Thanks!

I’ve just had a look at the website mentioned and it says negligible.

Our old boy was extremely ill after eating chocolate so it always makes me panic but she’s been fine this whole time. For at least 24 hours I didn’t even know she’d had them so I’m worrying unnecessarily.

Our old boy once found a sandwich in a bush. He was forever hopeful that it was some sort of magic, food dispensing bush as we couldn’t walk past ever again it without thoroughly investigating it.

Thank you all!

Our old boy once found a sandwich in a bush. He was forever hopeful that it was some sort of magic, food dispensing bush as we couldn’t walk past ever again it without thoroughly investigating it.

I love this when it comes to food they never forget!

It's not dark chocolate and when you think of how much is actually on a biscuit, I doubt there was much. Unless it's a very small dog, I'd relax after 48 hours.

Mine got a packet of rose creams and I didn’t realise she had eaten them until too late to take to the vet and also on the calculator thingy there wasn’t enough chocolate to worry about. That said she had terrible diarrhoea (mostly in the night) for 4 nights so it clearly didn’t agree with her!

@Springersrock the food memory is unreal! ours once found a half packet of monster munch in a bush, he still lives in hope and thoroughly sniffs and searches every time we go past!
Meticulously scratched a donut out from under a metal door. Took 10 minutes, no budging him. Loves a bus stop because lockdown has turned them into impromptu eating spots.
A walk with him is some fun🤣

Thanks all.

She’s absolutely fine so panic over.

They are funny with what they remember - she once found a Wosit under the fridge. Spent ages fishing it out and regularly goes back to check if more Wotsits have appeared

One of my horses is the same - her favourite thing in all the world are blackberries. There’s a blackberry bush in her field and pretty much all of autumn is spent with her head in the blackberry bush very gently, picking them as they ripen. We still have to check the bush out every day to see if the blackberries are back yet.