Chocolate / cocoa (theobromine)
الشوكولاتة / الكاكاو (الثيوبرومين)
Toxic food hazard (methylxanthine) · CAS: theobromine 83-67-0
Toxic - never feed (cats even more sensitive)
Why this verdict
Methylxanthines (theobromine + caffeine); pets metabolize slowly. Dogs: mild signs ~20 mg/kg, cardiotoxic 40–50 mg/kg, seizures ≥60 mg/kg (oral LD50 100–200 mg/kg). Cat toxic threshold lower (~200 mg/kg). Darker = more toxic (cocoa powder/baking chocolate ≫ milk); white chocolate negligible. Step A hard-flag, both species; dogs most common victims.
What It Is
A cocoa-derived ingredient containing theobromine and caffeine.
Pets can’t clear theobromine the way people do. Darker means more dangerous: cocoa powder and baking chocolate carry far more than milk chocolate, and white chocolate has almost none. Dogs are the usual victims, but the toxic dose is actually lower for cats. Signs run from vomiting to seizures and heart-rhythm trouble.
Evidence & Status
For Dogs & Cats
Dogs
Skip
Cats
Skip
AAFCO / FDA status
Toxic food hazard; cocoa bean hulls also a mulch/contaminant concern. Not a feed ingredient.
Applies to
both
Halal Status: Halal
Plant-derived (cacao); verify finished-product additives.
Standard: MS 1500:2019; GSO 2055-1; JAKIM e-SMAF
Also Known As
cocoa · cacao · cocoa bean shell/hull · theobromine · methylxanthine
Primary Source
Evidence, not medical advice. You decide.
More In This Category
Get ORIA when it launches
Join the waitlist - we'll email you the moment ORIA lands. Then scan any product and get a clear verdict on every ingredient, in seconds.
Coming soon to iOS and Android