3 Home Remedies for Dogs that Have Eaten Chocolate
Did your dog eat some chocolate? Even a small amount can have serious consequences on your dog’s health. Here are some emergency remedies you can try at home if you aren’t able to see a vet immediately. Make sure you get the vet’s approval before you try anything by yourself.
What to do if Your Dog eats Chocolate
1. Induce Vomiting with Hydrogen Peroxide
The most important step is to get rid of the chocolate before it gets digested by your dog’s body. One way of getting your dog to vomit is by feeding him a tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide.
A teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution (food-grade) should induce vomiting for small to medium-sized dogs. The quicker you do this, the lesser the chances of your dog getting sick. Hydrogen peroxide is unlikely to help if thirty minutes has already passed since your dog ate the chocolate.
2. Call ASPCA’s Poison Control Hotline
If you aren’t having much luck getting into contact with a local emergency vet then your next step should be to reach out to the ASPCA. Their animal poison control center is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
There is a consultation fee but the amount is worthwhile, especially when knowing that there is a certified toxicologist on the other end of the line. Every minute counts. You don’t want to waste time on Google seeking a solution that could be true or false.
PSA: ASPCA’s Poison Control consultation fee may be waived if your pet’s microchip comes from certain organizations like Home Again.
3. Don’t Use Activated Charcoal at Home
Some vets may administer activated charcoal to treat your dog’s chocolate poisoning problem. Activated charcoal can help by preventing the theobromine (the “toxic” component of chocolate) from getting absorbed by the dog’s body.
Unless you really know what you are doing, we don’t recommend giving your dog activated charcoal without the supervision or direction of a vet. Activated charcoal comes with its own risks, one of which is the potential of overdosing your dog.
What Happens When a Dog eats Chocolate?
First, it’s important to note that each chocolate product will have varying degrees of toxicity to dogs. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, which can be dangerous for dogs and not for humans. Dark chocolate generally has a higher theobromine content than white or milk chocolate.
Unlike us, dogs don’t have the ability to easily break down and digest theobromine. When there’s too much of it in the system, it can cause problems with the dog’s cardiovascular system, respiratory system etc. 100-500mg per kg of body weight is considered the lethal amount for dogs.
When a dog consumes a dangerous amount of chocolate, they may exhibit the following symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, seizures, abnormal heart rates, and muscle tremors.
Time it Take for Chocolate Poisoning Symptoms to Show Up
This will depend on a number of factors such as the body weight of your dog and the amount and type of chocolate ingested. According to American Kennel Club, chocolate poisoning symptoms can appear six to twelve hours after a dog has eaten chocolate.
Unless the dog consumed a lethal amount of chocolate, you can expect the effects of the chocolate poisoning to remain for up to 72 hours. Be sure to monitor your dog at all times until he returns to his normal self. Pleaes also note that chocolate isn’t the only human food that can be dangerous to dogs. Our human food for dogs list covers 100+ food items that dogs can and cannot eat.
My dog ate chocolate covered cherries Wednesday night and her symptoms are exactly what I read up above, I’m scared and broke to not able to pay I need help
Natalie, how is your dog? Were you able to get help?
My dog Jack just ate about 8 small ones. Aussie, weighs 55#. Will give him peroxide, small amount. Take him outside to throw up. NO Vets on weekends are open!!! I’m a self helper so if there’s more I should do, pulse tell me!
Brownies!
my dog ate a bar of dark chocolate. she’s only 4 pounds. we’re to broke to go to the vet and we don’t know what to do to help. shealready vomited which i read is apparently good. is there anything else i can do to increase her chances of living
My dog which is apparently at 2-3 months accidentally drank chocolate drink which I made from cocoa tablet, I gave her half glass because I thought she would like it and it will not cause her any harm but now, as I was observing her, the situation indicated above is happening to her and she lose too much weight, I’m afraid because I don’t have any money to go and check her to a vet, what can I do? Please help me, I want to be with my dog for a long time.
My 40 lb. lab ate two small chocolate Oreo cookies. It has been 10 hours and she has shown no symptoms. Should I be worried?
My dog ate less than half of a chocolate cake cup from Pats. She’s 23 pounds, and it’s only been about an hour and she hasn’t shown any symptoms. I really wish I could find what they use to make it so I could figure out better how it’s going through her.
My mother tells me not to worry about it, but I’m still worried and would like some reassurance. She has Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, will that change anything?
My dog is a 70lbs dog that are chocolate crumbled cookies unsure of amount. What should I do???
My jack russell got ahold of my 2 chocolate covered donut twists from the donut shop. I cannot financially afford to take her to the vet. She is panting, trembling, heart beating fast. It’s been 24 hours. I gave her 3% hydrogen peroxide and induced vomiting. She threw up about 6 times now. I don’t know what to do. Shes 14 pounds and 14 years old.
How did your dog come out?? Mine just ate 8 small brownies.
My Boston terrier got into chocolate ice cream it’s day 2 or 3 now, he has been vomiting, and black tar diarrhea
My 18 lb Boston ate a hershey kiss. Should I give her activated charcoal?
Hi my dog ate a fair bit she vomited but still has diarrhea and is off her food. Do I need to worry or dose it take its time to leave the system? Thank you.
My dog eat chocolate yesterday she had Diarrhoea and seems to be very sleepy I can’t afford a vet can I do any home remedies please help
My three dogs at 50lbs each ate 3 chocolate lava cakes and a large brownie only one is showing symtoms and I have no emergency vet bill cash just laying around to take him to the vet. I was hoping I could get some home remedies? I read I could give him a teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide (food grade?) Idk what food grade hydro proxy would be but what I get from the store.
Since no one from this website is going to answer any of you, I will do my best. My dog is about 65 lbs and ate 5 chocolate chunk cookies. I consulted w an online vet. Most important is give the dog as much fluid as possible, apple or orange juice being best or water if thats all you have. If you have any electrolytes or glucose add that. Gatorade also a good option. If they ate the choc 30 minutes ago or less, induce vomiting w a tiny bit of peroxide. If its been longer then you need to dilute w the fluids above. Give them any fiber you have mixed w water like Metamucil, psyllium husks or pumpkin/apple fiber (thats what we had, it firms up his poop) Also give them antihistamines such as Benedryl. Dosage for Benedryl is 1 tab per 25 lbs but you can err a bit over, dogs can take more Benedryl than humans. For example my dog being 65 lbs, we went ahead and gave him 3 tablets. If you have a little.toy breed, break a tablet up accordingly. Benedryl is good to have around for dogs anyway. Our last dog had allergies so we always had it around. And buy the tablets rather than the capsules so you can break them if necessary.
Since it was cookies rather than straight up chocolate its not as concentrated. If you have a smaller dog that ate a bunch of chocolate or any size dog that ate a larger amount of dark chocolate? YOU NEED TO GET THEM TO THE VET!! My dog isnt having any symptoms yet but its only been a couple hours. He’s sleeping peacefully while I sit here worried, watching him breathe. You’re going to be more likely to have problems if it’s a small dog that ate a couple chocolate bars than if it’s a larger dog that ate a few Oreos. The more concentrated the chocolate combined w the smaller the dog, the worse it likely will be. Good luck to you all.
@ Kell what does the allergy meds do? My dog is 14 yrs old and is just panting, restless, and thirsty. What do you think I should do?
I caught my dog just as she began to chew a small piece of dark chocolate about a inch in diameter. Could she get sick even though she just tasted it?
My 2 puppies about 9 months just ate 4 orange-filled cookies covered in dark chocolate. I gave them peroxide and gave them some water too. Will they be ok if they just ate 4? They are about 40-45 pounds.