Accepted Answer

Thanks for the quick reply

This sort of thing is always a gamble if you want to be 100% safe you should contact your vet without delay. However I can tell you the following :

Chocolate can be poisonous to dogs but they have to eat quite a lot, normally significantly more than your dog did for severe consequences to occur. In fact I am surprised your dog is showing any symptoms after eating such a small amount but after five hours things should not get any worse.

I say this because : The rule of thumb which I apply is that with dark { semi sweet } chocolate mild signs of toxicity can occur when 0.3 ounces per pound of body weight is ingested. Severe signs occur when one ounces per pound of body weight is swallowed. If you estimate your Beagle's weight as being in the region of 35 lb then you can see that your dog would have to swallow around 10 ozs before serious symptoms would occur.

Of course it would be wise to keep an eye on your dog just in case and contact an emergency vet if things get out of hand, the symptoms of chocolate poisoning would include vomiting and diarrhoea as well as frequent urination, and restlessness in the early stages. This can then progress to cardiac dysfunction, tremors and fits. These severe symptoms would be very unlikely in your case though.

Having said that most dogs with chocolate poisoning will recover within 24 to 48 hours, particularly if serious symptoms do not occur. There is no specific treatment for chocolate poisoning only symptomatic treatment.

If I have not covered your question fully enough or you would like to ask more I will be online for the next hour or so and I will be at your disposal.

Scott Nimmo BVMS MRCVS

Expert:	Scott Nimmo BVMS, MRCVS.
Pos. Feedback:	99.9 %
Accepts:
Answered:	11/5/2009

Dog Veterinarian

I have 28 years experience in all aspects of canine medicine and surgery.