15 Responses to “My dog ate a chocolate brownie from the trash, will he be ok?”
Kimberly M on
June 1st, 2010 6:48 pm
My dogs ate a few chocolate cookies once and i freaked out, but they were ok, i think as long as its not a huge amount of chocolate he will be ok
mickey g on
June 1st, 2010 6:54 pm
it should be ok, keep an eye on him tho and if anything seems out of the ordinary at all, get to the vet asap and call in an emergancy poisening on your way there to them so they know you’re coming
quadqueen93 on
June 1st, 2010 7:14 pm
depends how big the brownie was…did it contain dark chocolate? milk chocolate will make dogs sick, but they won’t die from it…dark chocolate is what kills dogs….if it was dark chocolate take him to the vet ASAP!
fallenminion09 on
June 1st, 2010 8:04 pm
With small dogs you could be in for trouble. If he is small you should take him to the vet immediately. He may brake out into seizures and die so take him to the vet before it is absorbed into the blood stream and get his stomach pumped. Hurry!
KJ on
June 1st, 2010 9:02 pm
Depending on how large the brownie was you may want to contact your vet.
My 50lb. dog once ate an entire box of Tag-Alongs (Chocolate/Peanut Butter Girl Scout Cookies). The whole darn box. No adverse reactions though (and I was prepared for the worst.)
That’s not to say your dog won’t react differently though.
Blue_Jay_Luv_Monkies on
June 1st, 2010 9:45 pm
I think he should be okay! just keep him away for anything chocolate
Casey B on
June 1st, 2010 10:10 pm
He will be fine. As long as it wasn’t like a bucket of brownies.
I had a chow chow puppy once that I adopted when I was in Ft. Benning. I was taking her home for the holiday and she got in my stocking I received from base. She ate a whole bag of m&m’s when I was bringing luggage in to the car. It didn’t kill her, but it upset her stomach pretty bad. My aunt is a vet, so I was lucky to have her there at home to take a look and make sure. She was fine, she really nasty diahrrea.
paintedrain2 on
June 1st, 2010 10:15 pm
You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there’s increased absorption of the toxic substance, you’ll see an increase in the dog’s heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting.
This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.
For a list of toxic chocolates:
White (least toxic)
Hot
Milk
Semi
Baking (most toxic)
Rox on
June 1st, 2010 10:43 pm
nah. he be dead.
PsychoTony on
June 1st, 2010 11:01 pm
HE will DIE !! !? ?!
Got Gay? on
June 1st, 2010 11:13 pm
As long as it not was the whole brownie package and already expired there will be no harm. May this be a lesson for you keep your trash away from reach of your doggie! Most dog food poisonig occurs at home, remeber they are like small children onlly they can’t talk.
PrincessPink on
June 1st, 2010 11:57 pm
I’m thinking not… chocolate is toxic to dogs. Take him or her to the vet right away. Here is a link on how to deal with chocolate dog poisoning. I have also includeed some important information.
Why is Chocolate Lethal?
Chocolate contains theobromine. A naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean, theobromine increases urination and affects the central nervous system as well as heart muscle. While amounts vary by type of chocolate, it’s the theobromine that is poisonous to dogs.
Symptoms of Chocolate Dog Ingestion and Poisoning
You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there’s increased absorption of the toxic substance, you’ll see an increase in the dog’s heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting.
This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.
How Much Chocolate Is Deadly?
If a 50-pound dog eats a teaspoonful of milk chocolate, it’s not going to cause serious problems. However, if that same dog gorges himself on a two-layer chocolate cake, his stomach will feel more than upset and soon it’s likely he’ll be vomiting or experiencing diarrhea.
To answer the question “How much is too much” is not simple. The health and age of your dog must be considered. Obviously if your dog is aged and not in top shape, his reaction to a plate of chocolate is going to be different from a young healthy dog of the same weight.
Another fact that must be considered is this: Not all chocolate is the same. Some has a small amount of theobromine; another type has a large amount and still another contains an amount that is somewhere in between. The quantity has a relationship with the weight of your dog. Small dogs can be poisoned, it is easy to understand, from smaller amounts of theobromine than large dogs.
Which chocolate is the safest, relatively speaking? White chocolate. It has the least amount of theobromine: 1 mg per ounce. Far on the other side of the spectrum is baking chocolate, which has a huge 450 mg of theobromine per ounce!
Here are a few other chocolates for you to ponder: hot chocolate, 12 mg of theobromine per ounce; milk chocolate, 60 mg/oz; and up there near baking chocolate: semi-sweet chocolate with 260 mg/oz.
You might try using this to remember these chocolates from least to most toxic: What Happy Moose Says BAA? Or: White-Hot-Milk-Semi-Baked. If you have a better way to remember, contact us!
Knowing which chocolate is the most toxic is important, but leaves one wondering how much must be eaten to poison a dog. The list in this box should be helpful. Maybe you can clip it and post it on your refrigerator?
White chocolate: 200 ounces per pound of body weight. It takes 250 pounds of white chocolate to cause signs of poisoning in a 20-pound dog, 125 pounds for a 10-pound dog.
Milk chocolate: 1 ounce per pound of body weight. Approximately one pound of milk chocolate is poisonous to a 20-pound dog; one-half pound for a 10-pound dog. The average chocolate bar contains 2 to 3 ounces of milk chocolate. It would take 2-3 candy bars to poison a 10 pound dog. Semi-sweet chocolate has a similar toxic level.
Sweet cocoa: 0.3 ounces per pound of body weight. One-third of a pound of sweet cocoa is toxic to a 20-pound dog; 1/6 pound for a 10-pound dog.
Baking chocolate: 0.1 ounce per pound body weight. Two one-ounce squares of bakers’ chocolate is toxic to a 20-pound dog; one ounce for a 10-pound dog.
goodanswer on
June 2nd, 2010 12:18 am
You should call poison control or the vet’s office to be safe. My friend’s dog ate chocolate and she had to give him peroxide so he would throw it up.
blue_eyes8305 on
June 2nd, 2010 1:12 am
A little chocolate will not hur the dog, but if he get into massive amounts you would need to take him to the vet for a stomach pump. But you would know he would show you there was somethin wrong.
Bec on
June 2nd, 2010 1:53 am
Your going to know pretty soon if he’s having a problem with it. He may be perfectly fine because I once had a Dalmatian that ate all of me and my sisters Easter candy when we were kids. It was tons of Hershey kisses and chocolate bunnies. Other than him keeping our back yard scattered with pastel foil for a month he didn’t have a reaction at all. Be careful with your trash can though-try not to let it become available for him to rummage through. There are a LOT of items that you may not now about that are extremely dangerous such as old medicines containing Tylenol or acetaminophen, splintery chicken bones, and so many more. As for the chocolate-if YOU FEEL scared about your dog’s wellness then you need to take him in or call your vet. He’s your baby and your ultimately responsible for his health and a professional opinion will at least put your mind at ease. Good Luck!
Feel free to leave a comment... and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
My dogs ate a few chocolate cookies once and i freaked out, but they were ok, i think as long as its not a huge amount of chocolate he will be ok
it should be ok, keep an eye on him tho and if anything seems out of the ordinary at all, get to the vet asap and call in an emergancy poisening on your way there to them so they know you’re coming
depends how big the brownie was…did it contain dark chocolate? milk chocolate will make dogs sick, but they won’t die from it…dark chocolate is what kills dogs….if it was dark chocolate take him to the vet ASAP!
With small dogs you could be in for trouble. If he is small you should take him to the vet immediately. He may brake out into seizures and die so take him to the vet before it is absorbed into the blood stream and get his stomach pumped. Hurry!
Depending on how large the brownie was you may want to contact your vet.
My 50lb. dog once ate an entire box of Tag-Alongs (Chocolate/Peanut Butter Girl Scout Cookies). The whole darn box. No adverse reactions though (and I was prepared for the worst.)
That’s not to say your dog won’t react differently though.
I think he should be okay! just keep him away for anything chocolate
He will be fine. As long as it wasn’t like a bucket of brownies.
I had a chow chow puppy once that I adopted when I was in Ft. Benning. I was taking her home for the holiday and she got in my stocking I received from base. She ate a whole bag of m&m’s when I was bringing luggage in to the car. It didn’t kill her, but it upset her stomach pretty bad. My aunt is a vet, so I was lucky to have her there at home to take a look and make sure. She was fine, she really nasty diahrrea.
You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there’s increased absorption of the toxic substance, you’ll see an increase in the dog’s heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting.
This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.
For a list of toxic chocolates:
White (least toxic)
Hot
Milk
Semi
Baking (most toxic)
nah. he be dead.
HE will DIE !! !? ?!
As long as it not was the whole brownie package and already expired there will be no harm. May this be a lesson for you keep your trash away from reach of your doggie! Most dog food poisonig occurs at home, remeber they are like small children onlly they can’t talk.
I’m thinking not… chocolate is toxic to dogs. Take him or her to the vet right away. Here is a link on how to deal with chocolate dog poisoning. I have also includeed some important information.
Why is Chocolate Lethal?
Chocolate contains theobromine. A naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean, theobromine increases urination and affects the central nervous system as well as heart muscle. While amounts vary by type of chocolate, it’s the theobromine that is poisonous to dogs.
Symptoms of Chocolate Dog Ingestion and Poisoning
You can recognize that your dog has eaten a toxic dose of chocolate from the symptoms. Within the first few hours, the evidence includes vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and there’s increased absorption of the toxic substance, you’ll see an increase in the dog’s heart rate, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or excessive panting.
This can lead to hyperthermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.
How Much Chocolate Is Deadly?
If a 50-pound dog eats a teaspoonful of milk chocolate, it’s not going to cause serious problems. However, if that same dog gorges himself on a two-layer chocolate cake, his stomach will feel more than upset and soon it’s likely he’ll be vomiting or experiencing diarrhea.
To answer the question “How much is too much” is not simple. The health and age of your dog must be considered. Obviously if your dog is aged and not in top shape, his reaction to a plate of chocolate is going to be different from a young healthy dog of the same weight.
Another fact that must be considered is this: Not all chocolate is the same. Some has a small amount of theobromine; another type has a large amount and still another contains an amount that is somewhere in between. The quantity has a relationship with the weight of your dog. Small dogs can be poisoned, it is easy to understand, from smaller amounts of theobromine than large dogs.
Which chocolate is the safest, relatively speaking? White chocolate. It has the least amount of theobromine: 1 mg per ounce. Far on the other side of the spectrum is baking chocolate, which has a huge 450 mg of theobromine per ounce!
Here are a few other chocolates for you to ponder: hot chocolate, 12 mg of theobromine per ounce; milk chocolate, 60 mg/oz; and up there near baking chocolate: semi-sweet chocolate with 260 mg/oz.
You might try using this to remember these chocolates from least to most toxic: What Happy Moose Says BAA? Or: White-Hot-Milk-Semi-Baked. If you have a better way to remember, contact us!
Knowing which chocolate is the most toxic is important, but leaves one wondering how much must be eaten to poison a dog. The list in this box should be helpful. Maybe you can clip it and post it on your refrigerator?
White chocolate: 200 ounces per pound of body weight. It takes 250 pounds of white chocolate to cause signs of poisoning in a 20-pound dog, 125 pounds for a 10-pound dog.
Milk chocolate: 1 ounce per pound of body weight. Approximately one pound of milk chocolate is poisonous to a 20-pound dog; one-half pound for a 10-pound dog. The average chocolate bar contains 2 to 3 ounces of milk chocolate. It would take 2-3 candy bars to poison a 10 pound dog. Semi-sweet chocolate has a similar toxic level.
Sweet cocoa: 0.3 ounces per pound of body weight. One-third of a pound of sweet cocoa is toxic to a 20-pound dog; 1/6 pound for a 10-pound dog.
Baking chocolate: 0.1 ounce per pound body weight. Two one-ounce squares of bakers’ chocolate is toxic to a 20-pound dog; one ounce for a 10-pound dog.
You should call poison control or the vet’s office to be safe. My friend’s dog ate chocolate and she had to give him peroxide so he would throw it up.
A little chocolate will not hur the dog, but if he get into massive amounts you would need to take him to the vet for a stomach pump. But you would know he would show you there was somethin wrong.
Your going to know pretty soon if he’s having a problem with it. He may be perfectly fine because I once had a Dalmatian that ate all of me and my sisters Easter candy when we were kids. It was tons of Hershey kisses and chocolate bunnies. Other than him keeping our back yard scattered with pastel foil for a month he didn’t have a reaction at all. Be careful with your trash can though-try not to let it become available for him to rummage through. There are a LOT of items that you may not now about that are extremely dangerous such as old medicines containing Tylenol or acetaminophen, splintery chicken bones, and so many more. As for the chocolate-if YOU FEEL scared about your dog’s wellness then you need to take him in or call your vet. He’s your baby and your ultimately responsible for his health and a professional opinion will at least put your mind at ease. Good Luck!