Can Dogs Eat Hershey’s Chocolate? What the Label Says

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Milk chocolate, nothing else. Call your vet or a poison hotline.The whole bar is chocolate, so the whole bar counts. The risk depends on how much your dog ate and how big your dog is.

A Hershey’s bar is as plain as chocolate gets, which is why it’s useful to look at.

What is on the label

I pulled the ingredient list for HERSHEYS MILK CHOCOLATE STANDARD BAR from USDA FoodData Central (branded foods) (product code 00034000002405). Ingredients are listed from the most to the least by weight.

Milk chocolate (sugar, milk, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, lecithin (soy), pgpr, natural flavor).

Recipes change, and flavors and package sizes can differ, so read the bag you actually have before you rely on this list.

What matters for your dog

  • Chocolate. ASPCA says chocolate is toxic to dogs because of compounds called methylxanthines. It says the darker the chocolate, the greater the risk, that white chocolate has the least, and that baking chocolate and cocoa powder have the most. The whole ingredient list on this label is milk chocolate.

About Hershey’s Chocolate

The standard bar label lists milk chocolate (sugar, milk, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin, PGPR and natural flavor), and that’s all. No xylitol, raisins or macadamia nuts are listed. The chocolate is the whole ingredient list.

Pet Poison Helpline says chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine. ASPCA says the darker the chocolate, the greater the risk, and that white chocolate has the least and baking chocolate the most. Milk chocolate is less risk by weight than dark, not no risk, and a bar is a lot of weight for a small dog.

Hershey’s also makes dark, Special Dark, cookies and cream, almond and other bars. Those have different labels, and dark chocolate carries more risk per bite. I checked the standard milk chocolate bar.

If your dog already ate some

Write down what it was, how much, when, and your dog’s weight, and keep the package. Then call your vet, ASPCA Poison Control at (888) 426-4435, or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661.

Don’t wait for symptoms if the snack has chocolate, xylitol, or a lot of onion or garlic in it. And don’t try to make your dog vomit with salt or salt water. Pet Poison Helpline says that can cause salt poisoning.

Questions people ask

How much Hershey’s chocolate will hurt a dog?

I can’t give a number. It depends on your dog’s weight and how much chocolate was eaten. Pet Poison Helpline has an online tool for estimating exposure, and says to call them either way.

Is a Hershey’s Kiss a big deal?

One Kiss is a small amount of chocolate, but size matters, and a small dog needs far less than a big one to get into trouble. If your dog ate more than one, call your vet.

Is milk chocolate less dangerous than dark?

Per ASPCA, yes, darker chocolate carries more risk. Milk chocolate is still chocolate, and it still counts.

More label checks

See every cookies, candy and gum check | Home

Sources

Last reviewed October 31, 2026. I’m not a vet, and this page is general information, not veterinary advice. Every dog is different. If you’re worried about your dog, call your vet.

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