Dog Ate A Chocolate Pudding

The Short Answer is:

The high sugar and fat content of chocolate pudding make it another danger for dogs. Furthermore, they contain nearly 5% fat and 17% sugar in addition to dangerously high levels of chocolate. The fat and sugar content of these puddings are somewhat irrelevant since theobromine is already causing serious problems.

The purpose of this article is to explain “Dog Ate A Chocolate Pudding“.

Would you like a pot of chocolate pudding?

Having sorted out the packed lunches are you short on water?

Is your suspicion turning against your dog?

What danger does this secret snack pose to your dog besides being naughty?

Dog ate chocolate pudding. What should I do?

It is only the size of your dog that might prevent your dog from going to the vet if he eats the entire contents of a ready-to-eat pot of chocolate pudding.

In the case of a dog weighing less than 7 kg emergency assistance will be required.

An average-sized 30 kg dog may have a touch of diarrhea while a 60 kg huge breed dog may not even have touched the sides of the pot.

I will explain how I came to those “conclusions” throughout the rest of this article so please read on. 

However if your dog only managed to get a lick of chocolate pudding then you can expect that he/she will have escaped unharmed. 

But be on the lookout for any signs of chocolate poisoning over the next 12 hours. 

What do I mean by chocolate pudding?

I researched quite a variety of chocolate puddings for this article since not all of you will consume puddings made by the same brand and some of you will consume homemade puddings.

In this post I examine three different chocolate pudding snacks that come in plastic pots. 

Jell-o produced two puddings (a regular chocolate pudding and a sugar-free chocolate pudding) and Snack Pack created one pudding.

Lastly I looked at a Jell-o cook and serve chocolate pudding which comes in powder form that you add milk to before serving. 

The recipe for chocolate pudding I looked at was also one of the most popular online. 

What are the main ingredients of a chocolate pudding?

Although the ingredients in the different brands and products are slightly different you would not be surprised to learn that they are the same. 

The most common ingredients are water milk sugar cocoa vegetable oil and salt.

Sugar was just substituted by an artificial sweetener called maltitol in the sugar-free variety I looked at. 

Now that we have discovered the main ingredients used in your favorite chocolate puddings lets see if any of these ingredients are toxic. 

Are any of these ingredients toxic?

Chocolate is a concentrated form of cocoa which is the main ingredient of concern 

A substance found in cocoa called theobromine is poisonous to dogs and if consumed in large enough quantities can kill them. 

The problem is figuring out how much cocoa is in a product.

This is difficult because the exact amounts of any ingredients are never specified on food packages. 

It is also possible to determine the amount of theobromine in each of these products by looking very closely at some nutritional data.

Although it would not be an exact amount it will be sufficient.

Knowing whether your dog is safe or not. 

What is the most dangerous type of chocolate?

The worlds most consumed product chocolate comes in a wide variety of forms. 

When I say this I mean whether it is white milk dark bakers or even cocoa powder. 

Dogs are more likely to be poisoned by darker chocolate.

Darker chocolate contains a much higher concentration of theobromine than milk chocolate.   

How much theobromine does it take to poison a dog?

Approximately half of all dogs die from having more than 100 mg of theobromine per kilo of body weight in their system. 

In all of this the size of your dog and the amount of chocolate he or she ate play a very important role. 

However even before these levels are reached a dog might be showing signs of being very ill.

I will discuss that in more detail later. 

I will be comparing how different-sized dogs may be affected by the different chocolate puddings we discussed in the next section.

How much theobromine is in a chocolate pudding?

In this section I discuss three different types of chocolate pudding and how eating them might affect three different dog sizes. 

100g ready to eat chocolate pudding

Lets think about a plastic pot filled with chocolate pudding.

According to the nutritional information on a plastic pot of chocolate pudding there is 70 mg of theobromine per 100g serving.

Based on what you said I’m going to assume that your dog ate all of the pudding. 

The next logical step would be to use an online toxicity calculator to determine whether your dog is in danger.

While there are a few to choose from (this one seems to have the greatest flexibility) none of them appear to be able to calculate the toxicity levels of a dog eating chocolate pudding.

It makes sense.

Dogs that eat milk white dark or baking chocolate are well catered for but not chocolate pudding dogs.

My own calculations have been developed after a lot of experimentation.

Three dogs will be used to illustrate them. 

Here are my mother-in-laws miniature poodle (Henry) my Golden Retriever (Sylvie) and a Great Dane. 

Henry weighs about 15 pounds (close to 7 kg) Sylvie is 60 pounds (30 kg) and a Great Dane can weigh around 120 pounds (60 kg).

Henry would be in greatest danger and could potentially die since his theobromine level would be approaching 90 mg/kg. 

With theobromine levels of just over 20 mg/kg Sylvie might experience vomiting and diarrhea.

A bulldog with only 10 mg/kg of theobromine in his system would carry on as if nothing had happened. 

Cook and Serve Chocolate pudding

A 100g serving of the product is created by mixing each sachet with milk.

According to the nutrition data each serving contains about 63 mg of theobromine slightly less than the ready-to-eat pots.

The results would be the same for all three dogs as for the ready-to-eat chocolate pudding pots.

Homemade chocolate pudding

A typical chocolate pudding is made with this recipe which seems to be very popular.

Regardless of the whipped cream this is not good news.

Theobromine is found in about 2057 mg of baking cocoa which is used in this recipe.

It would be an astronomical amount that would almost certainly kill Henry could possibly kill Sylvie and even the mighty Buster could end up with seizures. 

As for me I’m a bit shocked by that. 

As we look at how fast theobromine poisons a dog in the next section the information does not get easier.

When a dog gets sick how long does it take?

When it comes to poisoning your dog there are a number of factors that will impact the amount of time it takes.

Our discussion has already focused on the most important of these- the size of your dog and the amount of chocolate your dog consumes but you should also consider your dogs age and general health.

Your dog may be more vulnerable if they have a pre-existing heart condition. 

However symptoms will appear between six and twelve hours after your dog ate the chocolate pudding assuming everything else is equal. 

What are the symptoms of chocolate poisoning?

In dogs with chocolate poisoning there are several symptoms that might display.

The symptoms listed here might be displayed by one or more of them. 

It is common for your dog to suffer from nausea and vomiting as well as thirst. 

Is their water bowl always a destination for them?

You might notice that your dog is restless and pacing around because theobromine is a stimulant.

A particularly bad case of poisoning may cause your dog to have muscle tremors or seizures.  

I have had enough of chocolate poisoning so I want to talk about some of the other ingredients in chocolate pudding. 

How bad are the other ingredients in a chocolate pudding?

The high sugar and fat content of chocolate pudding make it another danger for dogs. 

Furthermore they contain nearly 5% fat and 17% sugar in addition to dangerously high levels of chocolate. 

The fat and sugar content of these puddings are somewhat irrelevant since theobromine is already causing serious problems. 

As the dog attempts to process everything the high fat and sugar levels will cause an even greater strain on its system. 

Its like being attacked from many different directions. 

Why might sugar-free chocolate pudding be dangerous?

It is impossible to escape the danger that chocolate puddings present for a dog. 

Additionally buying a sugar-free variety could put your dog at even greater risk- although that is a moot point in this situation. 

Sugar-free products can contain a chemical called xylitol which is highly toxic to dogs. 

As a result a dogs blood sugar level can spike sharply when he consumes xylitol. 

There are a couple of sugar-free chocolate puddings that use maltitol instead of sugar. 

Artificial sweeteners are not good for dogs but at least maltitol would not harm them- they may only get an upset stomach if they consume it. 

Put xylitol on your watch list if you consume chocolate pudding or other sugar-free products. 

You might save your dogs life by carefully reading labels! 

Amanda (Author)

With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.

Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)

Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.