Can Dogs Eat White Chocolate?

For my company holiday party last year, I made a White Chocolate cheesecake topped with Oreos. I remember making the cheesecake and accidentally dropping a few White Chocolate chips on the kitchen floor. While I was picking them up, my Labrador munched on one. I quickly had him spit it out. This situation led me to wonder, “can my dog eat White Chocolate?” Here’s the quick answer first. 

Can dogs eat White Chocolate? No, dogs should not eat White Chocolate. Although White Chocolate isn’t as toxic to our dogs as milk or dark chocolate, it still contains a toxic stimulant called theobromine which can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, heart attack, and seizures. Dogs that consume a great amount of White Chocolate may also experience symptoms of chocolate poisoning. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss in-depth why dogs should stay away from all kinds of chocolate, including White Chocolate. Before you share that piece of White Chocolate with your fur buddies, you’ll want to read this first. Let’s begin!

Can dogs have White Chocolate?

No, dogs should not have White Chocolate or any type of chocolate at all. In fact, White Chocolate is actually different from both milk and dark chocolate for the following reasons: 

• White Chocolate isn’t really considered chocolate since it does not actually contain cocoa solids or cocoa powder, which is the main ingredient found in both milk and dark chocolate. Dark Chocolate contains 50% to 85% cocoa. Milk chocolate contains 30% to 40% cocoa solids.   
• White Chocolate does not provide the same health benefits as dark or milk chocolate.  

So, are dogs allowed to eat White Chocolate? No, dogs should not be allowed to eat White Chocolate even though it isn’t the same as milk or dark chocolate because it has a high sugar and fat content. 

Let’s dig deeper into why White Chocolate is bad for dogs next. 

Is White Chocolate bad for dogs?

Yes, White Chocolate is bad for dogs because it is loaded full of added sugar and fat. Feeding your four-legged friends White Chocolate is like feeding them pure candy and this can negatively hurt your dog’s overall health. 

While White Chocolate contains a low amount of theobromine (the poisonous component in chocolate for dogs) as compared to dark or milk chocolate, it is high in both sugar and fat.

This means that White Chocolate does not provide any health benefits or nutrients to our fur babies but will instead cause them a host of health issues. 

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Next, we’ll discuss how the high sugar and fat content in White Chocolate can hurt your K9 pals.

Does White Chocolate hurt dogs?

Yes, dogs can get hurt if they consume a large amount of White Chocolate. As previously mentioned, White Chocolate contains a high level of fat and sugar content. Here’s how both of them can hurt your dog’s health.

High sugar content in White Chocolate can cause weight gain and diabetes in dogs

In just 1 ounce (28 grams) of White Chocolate, there are about 153 calories, 9 grams of fat (5 grams saturated), and 17 grams of carbohydrate (17 grams of sugar). This means that consuming just 1 ounce of White Chocolate regularly or daily can harm your furry friend’s health. 

When it comes to the nutritional profile of White Chocolate, we can see that more than 60% of White Chocolate is simply sugar and the carbohydrate in White Chocolate is coming from the sugar alone. 

This means that the carbohydrate in White Chocolate is purely simple carbs and not complex carbs. Simple carbs, especially from sugar can give your dog that sudden spike in energy and as well as that sudden crash. So you’ll see your pooch zooming around and then suddenly crashing.  

Nutritional Profile of White Chocolate (1oz or 28 g)

Name, Unit	Amount
Calories, cal	153
Sugar, g	17
Sodium, mg	25.5
Carbohydrate, g	17
Total Fat, g	9
Saturated Fat, g	5
Protein, g	2
Fiber, g	0.06
Iron, mg	0.07
Calcium, mg	56
Magnesium, mg	3.4
Phosphorus, mg	50
Potassium, mg	81

When our four-legged friends consume a lot of sugar, such as from White Chocolate, they are at risk of weight gain, diabetes, metabolic changes, dental issues, and even urinary tract infections (UTI).

High fat content in White Chocolate can lead to pancreatitis in dogs

We can also see from the nutritional profile, that there are 9 grams of total fat in just 1 oz of White Chocolate. Of that 9 grams of total fat, 5 grams is saturated fat. 

When our furry friends consume food that is high in fat, they’re also receiving tons of calories too and this is a disastrous choice for dogs that are already overweight or are on weight management. 

Some dogs aren’t able to tolerate a high-fat diet and may start to experience symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting. Additionally, when dogs consume high-fat food or snack regularly such as White Chocolate, they may start to develop pancreatitis.

Is White Chocolate poisonous to dogs?

Yes, White Chocolate is poisonous to dogs when consumed in large amounts. If your pooch accidentally ate a tiny piece of White Chocolate, he or she should be fine. 

However, you’ll still want to monitor your fur babies closely for any signs and symptoms of chocolate poisoning or any behavioral changes. Sometimes the negative effects of eating a lot of White Chocolate won’t show up in dogs until hours later.

Does White Chocolate contain theobromine?

Yes, White Chocolate does contain a small amount of theobromine and it is this stimulant or alkaloid that makes White Chocolate poisonous to dogs. Let’s discuss how theobromine can negatively affect your canine friends next.  

Theobromine in White Chocolate is toxic to dogs

While sharing is caring, sharing White Chocolate with your furry pals is not caring in this case. That’s because White Chocolate, like milk and dark chocolate, also contain a toxic stimulant called theobromine. 

Theobromine is similar to caffeine and both theobromine and caffeine have been medicinally used as a heart stimulant, smooth muscle relaxant, blood vessel dilator, and diuretic.  

Fortunately, White Chocolate doesn’t contain as much theobromine as milk or dark chocolate. However, that doesn’t mean that White Chocolate is safe to share with our furry friends. Allowing your pooch to consume a large amount of White Chocolate can be dangerous. 

Here is a breakdown of how much theobromine is in each ounce of milk, dark, and white chocolate: 

• White Chocolate: 0.25mg of theobromine per ounce.
• Milk chocolate: 60mg of theobromine per ounce.  
• Dark chocolate: 200mg of theobromine per ounce.  
• Unsweetened baker’s chocolate: 390mg of theobromine per ounce.

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Is White Chocolate dangerous to dogs?

As we can see, White Chocolate is dangerous to dogs. Our K9 friends should stay as far away from theobromine in White Chocolate as possible because they are not able to metabolize this stimulant or alkaloid as quickly as we can. 

Our dogs’ bodies metabolize theobromine at a very slow pace so consuming a large amount of White Chocolate means theobromine can quickly build up in their bodies. When there are high levels of theobromine in our dogs’ bodies, it puts our canine friends at risk for chocolate toxicity. 

In fact, the lethal dose of theobromine for dogs is said to be between 100 and 500 mg per kilogram of body weight in dogs. If your pooch accidentally consumes this much theobromine from White Chocolate, they can die from it.  

If we have a small 10-pound Chihuahua dog and a medium-sized 70-pound Labrador dog, here is their lethal dose of theobromine.  

• The legal dose of theobromine for a 10-pound Chihuahua dog is between 454 mg and 2,270 mg.
• The legal dose of theobromine for a 70-pound Labrador dog is between 3,175 mg and 15,875 mg.

As you can see, a larger dog is able to handle more White Chocolate than a small dog. 

With that said, it’s always best to err on the side of safety by keeping White Chocolate away from our precious pooch. If you have half a bar of unfinished White Chocolate, we highly recommend that you put it away inside a closed cabinet or on a high surface where your dogs can’t reach it. 

Dogs with chocolate poisoning may experience the following signs and symptoms: 

• Extreme thirst.
• Excessive urination. 
• Diarrhea. 
• Vomiting. 
• Restlessness.
• Tachycardia or increase heart rate.
• Irregular heart rhythm. 
• Panting. 
• Muscle tremors.
• High blood pressure. 
• Agitation. 
• Nervousness. 
• Seizures (in severe cases). 
• Heart failure (in severe cases).

My dog ate White Chocolate! What should I do?

If you suspect your furry friends have chocolate poisoning, here’s what you can do.

What to do if your dog eats White Chocolate

If your dog ate some White Chocolate, we recommend that you contact your dog’s vet right away. If you’re not able to get a hold of your veterinarian, you’ll want to contact the Pet Poison Helpline. 

Chocolate poisoning is very serious and requires immediate medical attention. The sooner it is treated, the better. The treatments your vet comes up with will largely depend on how much White Chocolate your pooch consumed.  

Your vet may induce vomiting, administer activated charcoal to prevent theobromine absorption into the body, and provide intravenous fluid (IVF) therapy.

IVF therapy is very helpful because it can stabilize your canine friends and promote the excretion of theobromine.

Is White Chocolate safe for dogs?

No, White Chocolate is not safe for dogs and it is important that dog owners do not share White Chocolate with their dogs. If your dogs accidentally ate a small piece of White Chocolate, they should be fine, but please do not intentionally feed your precious pooch White Chocolate. 

As discussed above, White Chocolate contains high levels of sugar and fat. It also has a small amount of theobromine.

These three factors in White Chocolate can cause a host of health issues in dogs including upset stomach, diabetes, weight gain, dental issues such as tooth decay and tooth loss, metabolic changes, pancreatitis, and even chocolate poisoning.

White Chocolate and dogs

Can dogs eat White Chocolate chips?

No, dogs should not eat White Chocolate chips. Please avoid adding White Chocolate chips into their diet or treats.

That’s because White Chocolate chips are packed full of sugar and fat which can put your four-legged friends at risk of canine obesity, diabetes, upset stomach, metabolic changes, and pancreatitis. 

Some sugar-free White Chocolate chips may also contain xylitol, a sugar-free sweetener that is extremely toxic to dogs. If your pooch consumes a large amount of sugar-free White Chocolate chips containing the artificial sweetener, xylitol, they may experience seizures. 

For these reasons, please keep White Chocolate chips away from dogs.

Can dogs eat White Chocolate macadamia?

No, dogs should not eat White Chocolate macadamia. Both White Chocolate and macadamia are unhealthy and harmful to dogs. In fact, macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs. 

Just a tiny amount of food containing macadamia nuts can be fatal to dogs. 

If you’re eating White Chocolate candy with macadamia nuts or cookies with White Chocolate chips and macadamia nuts, please do not share it with your precious pooch. They are not safe for dogs and although you may feel bad, don’t be. You’re doing the right thing by keeping them safe from food that is toxic to them.

Fun Fact: Some popular cereal brands contain nuts, including macadamia nuts, walnuts, and hickory nuts. In fact, some popular nuts have a high-fat content, including almonds, pecans, and peanuts.

Can dogs eat White Chocolate Reese’s?

No, dogs should not eat White Chocolate Reese’s because they contain theobromine, which is toxic to dogs in large amounts. White Chocolate Reese’s are also high in fat and sugar content.

Question of the day: While dogs can’t have White Chocolate Reese’s, can they at least enjoy some original Reese’s Pieces? Check out Can Dogs Eat Reese’s Pieces? and both you and your dogs will be pleasantly surprised!

So, can dogs eat White Chocolate?

As you can see, dogs should not eat White Chocolate. It’s a good idea to keep all types of chocolate, including White Chocolate, away from your four-legged friends. 

White Chocolate is simply pure sugar to our fur babies due to its high sugar and fat content and it also contains theobromine which is toxic to dogs. 

With that, White Chocolate is not good for dogs in any way, shape, or form and should be avoided at all costs. 

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The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding dietary needs.

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_chocolate