You likely know that chocolate isn’t good for dogs. In fact, it can kill them. But how much chocolate does it take? I’ve seen more than one panicked post on a dog forum when someone’s dog has just eaten some chocolate.

So I was pleased to come across a cute chart on the National Geographic website, based on data from the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals):

Weight of Dogs and Chocolate Quantities Consumed

There is some small print at the bottom, which essentially says the exact amounts of the dangerous chemical, theobromine, may vary in the different kinds of chocolate they show. I would also add that dogs, like humans, exhibit biochemical individuality. This means that two dogs of the same size and even of the same breed may react differently to the same amounts of chocolate or other poison ingested.

Seems to me that the main use of this chart is to give you some sense of scale. If your Great Dane eats one chocolate chip, it’s most unlikely that you have a problem! But if the dog is smaller and the qauntity larger, then take a look at the chart and decide if it’s time to call the veterinarian. I like it that the chart allows you to set the dog’s estimated weight in pounds or kilograms, and the amount of chocolate ingested in grams or ounces.

I set the chart for a 50 pound dog and saw the estimates that it would take at least 6 ounces for any symptoms to appear. There are different weights given for vomiting and diarrhea, rapid heartbeats, tremors and seizures, and potential death.

I hope you never need this chart, but I suggest you bookmark that page just in case. And tell your friends! That’s how I found out about the chart, friends telling friends.