My dog ate chocolate: what to do (a vet's Halloween guide)

Let me guess. It's Halloween week. There's a bowl of candy by the front door, the kids have started "sorting" their haul on the living room floor, and you stepped away for two minutes. Now there are shredded wrappers under the coffee table, and your dog is sitting there looking like he has no idea how they got there. So you grabbed your phone and typed "my dog ate chocolate."

Take a breath. Let's walk through it the way I would if you were sitting across from me. The short version: make a phone call now, while he still seems fine. Here's why, and here's what they'll ask you.

My dog ate chocolate. What do I do right now?

1. Get him away from the rest of it. Pick up what's left, and keep the wrappers.
2. Figure out what kind. Milk chocolate, dark, baking chocolate, cocoa powder, a brownie? Read the wrapper. If it lists a cocoa percentage, write it down. Check whether the candy also had raisins, macadamia nuts or coffee in it, or says "sugar-free."
3. Figure out how much. Count the empty wrappers and look at what's left in the bag. A best guess is fine.
4. Figure out when. Even "sometime after dinner" helps.
5. Know roughly what he weighs. His last weight at the vet is close enough.
6. Call your vet or a pet poison line. Not tomorrow morning. Now, even if he's acting completely normal.

Who should you call first? Whoever you can reach first. Your own vet, an emergency clinic, or one of the two animal poison lines. The poison lines answer 24 hours a day, every day of the year:

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: (888) 426-4435
• Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661

Both charge a fee, so have a card handy. The vet or poison specialist on the line will take what you know and tell you whether this is "watch him at home" or "get him in."

"My dog ate chocolate but he's acting fine"

I know. That's exactly when to call.

Chocolate signs usually show up within 6 to 12 hours, sometimes sooner. So a dog who's wagging and begging for more an hour after the candy heist isn't telling you anything yet.

Found the wrappers the next morning and he seems fine? Still call. A bad case can drag on for up to three days, and they'll tell you what to watch for.

Here's the thing: the early hours are when your vet has the most options. If he ate it in the last couple of hours, your vet may be able to make him bring it back up before much of it is absorbed, and getting it out early makes a bad case milder. Wait until he's trembling and his heart is racing, and that window has closed. Treating early is easier on him, and usually on your wallet, too.

Sometimes the answer you'll get is "he'll be fine, just keep an eye on him." That's a great answer, and all it took was one phone call.

Don't make him throw up at home (unless a vet tells you to)

The internet is full of home remedies for this, hydrogen peroxide and salt included. Please don't start with them.

Making a dog vomit can go wrong. He can breathe some of it into his lungs and end up with pneumonia. It can cause ulcers in the food pipe or stomach. Salt can actually poison him. And some dogs shouldn't be made to vomit at all, depending on the breed, their health and what they swallowed.

Don't make him vomit until you've talked to somebody first, whether that's your vet or a poison line. If it needs doing, they'll decide and tell you how, or have you bring him in.

Why dark chocolate is worse than milk chocolate

Chocolate has two stimulants in it: theobromine and its cousin, caffeine. Dogs clear theobromine slowly, so it hangs around and keeps working on the stomach, the nerves and the heart. Picture a dog who's had way too much coffee and can't make it wear off.

The darker and more bitter the chocolate, the more of it there is:

• White chocolate: barely any, though the fat and sugar can still cause trouble.
• Milk chocolate: some. Less than dark, but a lot of it in a small dog is still a problem.
• Dark and semisweet chocolate: more, and the higher the cocoa percentage, the more it has.
• Baking chocolate: six or seven times what milk chocolate has, bite for bite.
• Cocoa powder: the most of all.

Brownies, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake count, too. Some are made with baking chocolate or cocoa powder, so ask whoever made them.

The other half of the answer is his size. The same candy bar is a much bigger deal for a Chihuahua than for a Labrador. That's why there's no simple "safe amount" I can give you here. Let your vet or the poison line do the math.

Signs of chocolate poisoning to watch for

• Early on: vomiting, diarrhea, drinking a lot, a bloated belly, restlessness.
• As it builds: acting hyper, pacing, peeing a lot, wobbly walking, stiffness, trembling.
• Serious: weakness, hard panting, fast breathing or trouble breathing, a racing or irregular heartbeat, overheating, blue-tinged gums, seizures, collapse.

If you see any of these, don't wait for a callback. Head to your vet or the nearest emergency clinic, and call on the way so they're ready for him.

And one that sneaks up on people: all that fat and sugar can set off pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas. It may not show up for two to four days, as vomiting, not eating, diarrhea, low energy or a sore belly. So keep watching after the chocolate itself has worn off.

Save the numbers before trick-or-treat night

A candy emergency is a bad time to go hunting for a phone number. Before Halloween night, put your vet's number, your nearest emergency clinic and at least one poison line in your phone. "Who do I call after hours?" is a question I'd ask at any visit, along with these others.

Or just get WagNote. Both poison lines are already on its home screen. Add your own vet and your nearest emergency clinic, and each one is a single tap away.

Honestly, that's part of why I built WagNote (full disclosure: it's my app). I kept seeing owners struggle to keep track of everything about their pets, so I put it all in one place.

The other Halloween dangers

• Sugar-free candy and gum. These can contain xylitol, a sweetener that's dangerous for dogs. It can drop a dog's blood sugar fast, sometimes within 10 minutes to an hour: vomiting, then weakness, staggering, collapse or seizures. Some serious effects can wait 12 to 24 hours, so go now even if he seems fine. In some dogs it also hurts the liver, so yellow gums or eyes, bruising or bleeding in the days after mean go now. "Sugar-free" doesn't say which sweetener, so check the ingredients for xylitol, birch sugar or wood sugar.
• Raisins. Raisins and grapes can hurt a dog's kidneys, even in small amounts, and there's no telling how much is too much for which dog. Those little snack boxes count. So do chocolate-covered raisins, which are two problems in one. Call now, even if he seems fine. Don't wait for signs.
• Wrappers. Most dogs don't bother unwrapping. Foil and cellophane can block the bowel, and a bad blockage can mean surgery. Over the next few days, watch for vomiting, not eating, not pooping, straining, or low energy.
• Glow sticks. One bite and the liquid inside leaks out, with heavy drooling and foaming that looks scary. It's usually not life-threatening, but it stings the mouth. Cats are the usual chewers.
• Costumes. Only if he enjoys it. Some dogs love being a hot dog for the night. Others would rather not. Make sure it doesn't block his vision, movement or breathing, and watch for beads, snaps and small metal bits he could chew off, since some, like zinc and lead, are poisonous. Skip the fur dye.
• Candles. Keep jack-o'-lantern candles away from curious noses and wagging tails.

Keep the candy bowl up high

• When the kids come home, sort the haul at the kitchen table, then put it up high or behind a closed door.
• Check backpacks, pillowcases, bedrooms, and guests' purses and coats. Candy has a way of being stashed.
• While the doorbell's going, a quiet back room keeps him out of the bowl and away from an open front door.

If you do one thing this week: save your vet, your nearest emergency clinic and one poison line in your phone, or in WagNote. Your vet will love you for it. Your dog may file a complaint.