My dog ate dark chocolate and threw up. Does he need a vet?

Question

33 lb dog ate 1.5 oz of dark chocolate (88% cocoa content) last night. Within 2 hours, I gave him peroxide and he threw up what I believe to have been most everything in his stomach and it smelled heavily of chocolate. He appeared fine after throwing up and went to bed. He slept fine (I checked on him frequently throughout the night). His heart rate was not fast. He’s had milk chocolate before (I have a child and she left some M&Ms on the coffee table once) and it had no effect on him. He should. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 7 years and 4 months old | 33 lbs

Lauren Jones VMD · Accepted Answer

Oh no, Spock! I'm glad that he vomited most, if not all, of the chocolate that he consumed because eating this amount of dark chocolate could cause elevations in heart rate and arrhythmias for a dog his size. In the future, take Spock to a vet to induce vomiting through injectable medications because hydrogen peroxide can cause significant irritation to the esophagus and stomach and is no longer recommended as a method of vomit induction. I do recommend taking Spock to the vet now for an exam and heart monitoring to assure that he has not developed arrhythmias. There is still the chance that he may experience vomiting and diarrhea or pancreatitis as a result of his chocolate ingestion. Start by offering him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken and white rice a bit preventatively for the next few days before gradually transitioning him back to his normal diet. I hope that all goes well!

My dog ate dark chocolate and threw up. Does he need a vet?

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