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My dog ate chocolate brownies and is throwing up. Is he okay?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Havanese | Male | 7 years and 10 months old | 23 lbs

My dog ate some brownies, its been about 6 hours and now hes drinking a lot of water throwing up and eating grass...Please help

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Debi Matlack

Veterinary Technician

Published on January 2nd, 2018

The effects of chocolate on a pet depends on a few factors: how big the pet is, how much they ate, and how dark the chocolate is. The darker the chocolate, the higher the concentration of theobromine, the ingredient that pets are sensitive to. Cocoa powder can have up to 10 percent theobromine. It's all dependent on how dark the chocolate is, where the cacao beans are grown and the brand. According to Hershey's, the theobromine content for their different types of chocolate is as follows. 1½ ounce Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar - 74 milligrams 1½ ounce Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar - 184 milligrams 1½ ounce semi-sweet chocolate chips - 165 milligrams 1½ ounce unsweetened baking chocolate - 466 milligrams 1 Hershey's Kiss - 8.2 milligrams 2 tbsp chocolate syrup - 70 milligrams Theobromine is digested and metabolized very slowly in dogs. The alkaline substance increases the heart rate and slows blood pressure. It also increases urination, causing dehydration. In addition, many digestive problems can occur. Symptoms to watch for generally occur in the first 12 hours. They include: Diarrhea Excitability Increased urination Irritability Muscle tremors Rapid pulse Restlessness Vomiting Left untreated, the dog can develop seizures and die from ingesting too much chocolate. This is where it is important to know exactly how much your dog has eaten. It's important to contact your veterinarian if your dog eats chocolate. In mild cases, you'll be advised to induce vomiting within the first two hours and then watch for signs of chocolate poisoning. If anything alarming occurs, seek veterinary care immediately. If veterinary care is necessary, charcoal is used to absorb as much theobromine as possible. The stomach may be pumped to remove additional chocolate before it digests. The heart is closely monitored and arrhythmias will be treated if they occur. IV fluids may be ordered to prevent dehydration. Seizures will be treated with medications. According to the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center, ingesting 20 milligrams of theobromine can cause mild poisoning. Ingesting 60 milligrams can lead to seizures. A lot of this depends on the dog's size.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 3rd, 2017

    Oh that wasn't good that Rowan ate the brownie! Luckily, these brownies aren't very big and likely aren't made with a lot of chocolate. Without knowing the exact chocolate content (which I'm having trouble finding online), I can't say for certain if he will be ok or not for sure, but this small amount is unlikely to cause problems. You may see some vomiting and diarrhea from the sugar content, and I can give you a home remedy for him if you do, but if you see any muscle tremors, increased heart rate, increased urination, or seizures, I would take him into the vet immediately. It can take up to 24 hours for chocolate toxicity to occur, so I would monitor Rowan over this time period. Home remedy: Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet.

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 22nd, 2018

    Hello, I'm sorry to hear about Jasper. Im unable to find the how much chocolate is in each brownie and wether its dark or milk chocolate. Once this information is obtained, you can check a chocolate toxicity calculated online to determine if you should be worries or call the Pet Poison Control line to see if they think this amount of chocolate in single brownie is of concern. Alternatively, you can brink Jasper to your local Emergency clinic to have make him vomit the brownie so that he does not absorb any of the toxins. Mild signs of chocolate ingestion include vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. Moderate signs include changes in blood pressure and a rapid heart rate. Severe side effected include seizures. If you note any of these, then have Jasper seen immediately. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 16th, 2022

    The answer to your question depends on how big the brownie was that Penny ate, how much chocolate was in it, and what type of chocolate. Dark chocolate is the most toxic type of chocolate and it takes the least amount to cause toxicity. Signs of chocolate toxicity can occur between 6-12 hours, sometimes longer. You need to keep an eye on her for signs of toxicity including vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, panting, restlessness, excessive urination, and/or increased heart rate. If you see any of those signs, you need to take her into a vet immediately. If the brownie she ate contained dark chocolate, I would take her into a vet now for fluids because of the higher risk of toxicity with dark chocolate. I hope this helps!

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