Many people consider Ferrero Rocher to be the best cookies in the world, and for good reason.
No wonder that the number of Ferroro Rochers sold annually around the world is around 3.6 billion!
While it’s alright for you to enjoy a Nutella-filled treat, can dogs eat Ferrero Rocher?
Not exactly, because chocolate is bad for dogs.
If you’re wondering whether that one piece of Ferrero Rocher your dog managed to steal is going to harm him, there’s little risk of that.
In this article, we’ll have a look at the ingredients in a Ferrero Rocher and explain why and how much chocolate is toxic for your pet.
What are the ingredients in a Ferrero Rocher?
While Ferrero Rocher also comes in tablet form, it’s the cookies that people love. ‘The Golden Experience’ as the company advertises them.
A typical Ferrero Rocher weighs 12.5 and provides 73 calories, which is very much for such a quick bite.
As for the ingredients listed by the manufacturer, these are: milk chocolate (30%), hazelnuts (28.5%), sugar, palm oil, wheat flour, lecithins, sodium bicarbonate, salt and vanillin.
Then, there’s also Ferrero Rondnoir, a relatively new arrival to the family, which contains 40% dark chocolate.
Chocolate is the main problem with Ferrero Rocher. Sugar isn’t very healthy for dogs, but it wouldn’t cause any problems. Nor would hazelnuts, which dogs are allowed to eat as long as they are not salted.
If you look at a classical Ferrero Rocher, 30% chocolate means there’s 3.75g of milk chocolate in one treat. How would this affect your dog?
Why is chocolate toxic for dogs?
Chocolate is dangerous for dogs because it contains a chemical called theobromine, as well as caffeine. Theobromine is actually quite similar to caffeine and it’s the main villain in chocolate.
Both chemicals act like a heart stimulant, blood vessel dilator, and a smooth muscle relaxant. The main problem is that dogs cannot metabolize either caffeine or theobromine as humans do. The result is that they’re more sensitive to side effects. The more the dog ingests, the higher the risks of chocolate poisoning.
How much chocolate is toxic to dogs?
It also depends on the dog’s weight. A large German Shepherd won’t feel any effects at all, but a very small one might get a bit of a tummy ache. If you’ve just caught your pet eating your favorite chocolate and don’t know if he’s in danger or not, you can use this online calculator to see whether you should call the vet or wait it out.
Can a Ferrero Rocher cause chocolate poisoning in a dog?
No need to worry. A dog would need to eat a large quantity of chocolate so the toxic compounds reach a dangerous level.
What type of chocolate is more dangerous to dogs?
Let’s have a look at the danger posed by the various types of chocolate you might have around the house.
Baking chocolate
According to experts, if you have a10-pound dog, as little as 0.5 ounce of baking chocolate should warrant a call to the vet. One ounce is already too much for a 20-pound dog, while for a 30-pound one symptoms of chocolate toxicity might appear after ingesting 1.5 ounces Baking chocolate includes Baker’s Chocolate, Callebaut, Ghirardelli, Guittard, Lindt, Menier, Scharffen Berger and Valrhona.
Milk chocolate
This is less dangerous for a dog. A 10-pound dog would need to eat 3.5 oz (more than 2 regular Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars) to be in danger. For a 20-pound one the dangerous level is 7 oz, while a 30-pound one might eat up to 10.5 ounces and still be OK, well, except for some diarrhea. Ferrero Rocher falls into this category, along with other popular chocolates, such as chocolate M&M’s, Hershey’s, Mars, Kit Kat, Dove, Cadbury, Toblerone and Kinder.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate might be healthier for you, but keep it away from your four-legged friend. It only takes 1.5 ounces to induce poisoning in a 10-pound dog, 3 oz for a 20-pound dog, and 4.5 oz for a 30-pound one. If you believe your pet ate more than that, talk to your vet.
White chocolate
You might call it a dog-friendly chocolate. The level of toxic compounds in white chocolate is so low it’s nearly impossible to poison a dog with it. A small 10-pound dog would need 47 pounds of white chocolate to get poisoning, a 20-pound one would require 95 pounds, while a big 30-pound one would have to make his way through 145 pounds of the stuff.
That doesn’t mean that you should allow your pet to stuff himself silly on white chocolate. The dangerous chemicals mentioned above won’t kill him, but the sugar and the fat would badly damage his health.
Can a dog eat Raffaello?
The white delicacy in the Ferrero family, Raffaello is harmless for dogs, in as much as it doesn’t contain chocolate. It’s unique taste is given by 25.5% desiccated coconut and 8% almonds. Coconut is healthy for dogs as long as it is consumed in moderation. But. of course, you need to worry about too much sugar in your pet’s diet.
What are the symptoms of chocolate toxicity?
It may happen that the dog raids your secret stash and eats some chocolate while you’re not paying attention. If you don’t know exactly how much chocolate your dog ate, you should know how to recognize the signs of poisoning
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Excessive thirst
- Panting
- Restlessness
- Increased urination
- Elevated heart beat.
- Muscle tremors
- Seizure
- Heart Failure
In severe cases, dogs can develop complications such as aspiration pneumonia caused by all the vomiting.
Keep in mind that the signs of chocolate poisoning might take a few hours to become apparent, so keep the dog under observation even if right after the kitchen raid he seems fine.
What to do if the dog has chocolate poisoning?
The obvious answer would be – go to the vet, but, if for some reason, you cannot get hold of your doctor right away you should try giving your dog activated charcoal, which blocks the absorption of theobromine into the dog’s system.
Trying to make the dog vomit on your own might be risky, but you can use a turkey baster to squirt some hydrogen peroxide into his mouth, 1 tablespoon per 20 lbs of body weight.
Closing thoughts
One piece of Ferrero Rocher won’t harm your dog, but you should avoid giving him such treats as there’s always the risk he’ll learn where you hide the cookies. Ferrero Rochers, especially the dark chocolate variety, are dangerous because they have chocolate, which is toxic for dogs. One small treat is no cause for alarm, but if the dog polished a whole box of them watch out for chocolate toxicity symptoms and call the vet.
