I've heard that chocolate is very bad for certain dogs. Are Daschunds part of the list? My 3 year old ripped into a bag of Hersey miniatures while we were out for the afternoon and ate the whole bag. How worried should I be and what should I do?

Thanks for any information!

I would try to call a vet. Your vet's regular number may forward to an emergency number. If you don't manage to talk to a vet, give him a teaspoon of regular peroxide. If he doesn't throw up in 15 minutes, give him another. I am surprised that some dogs will happily lap it up.

As far as I know, chocolate is dangerous to all breeds and some individuals more than others. It takes a fairly large, single dose to harm most dogs. The miniatures have a high chocolate content including the more dangerous semi sweet with its dark chocolate. A whole bag sounds like a lot for a small dog.

At least none of it has raisins. If it was a Chunky, the raisins might be worse than the chocolate.

Please post back and let us know how he does.

Future reference for me -- in these cases of dogs eating something bad for them -- is it wise to give them some peroxide to " clean" them out?-- Savage

It was a 12 oz bag and she ate all but about 4 or 5 pieces. We are trying the perioxide right now. Thanks for the quick response!

Usually, but in some cases, whatever will do more harm coming back up, caustics, sharp objects, etc. That is why I first suggested calling the vet.

A couple of years ago, Sheba ate our seed corn. Fearing it was treated with mercury or other poison, I did call the vet before administering the peroxide. At a training session that summer, somebody else reported their Golden lapped up the peroxide too.

Perioxide did the trick. It took about 5 mintues and she threw up all over the yard. It seems that her stomach is not as bloated (for lack of a better word) and she is now running around the house. Is there anything I should be watching out for in her behavior, etc due to the chocolate mishap?

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Did I say thank you?

The first sign of trouble is the body violently trying to expel the chocolate from both ends. I have never heard what comes next. Nor do I have any experience with the dog even showing any symptoms.

I had a dog get into a bar of rat poison once and used peroxide till was able to get her to the vet for vitamin b shots and pills. Boy it works fast. I remember reading salt water will do the same. -- Savage

I am sorry I didn't see this post until this morning. My contact on the boards over the next couple of weeks will be limited. I do hope your dog is okay. I am VERY thankful that labman saw your post relatively quickly and was able to give you the correct advice.

The amount of chocolate your little dachshund ingested was definitely life threatening. White chocolate and milk chocolate do not have the same amount of theobromine that darker chocolates contain. Those Hersheys Miniatures may contain a higher amount of dark chocolate than their other popular brands. Theobromine is the chemical that is poisonous to any dog's system. The size and weight of a dog is the significant factor in determining theobromine poisoning along with the type of chocolate ingested.

As an FYI to all, within the first few hours of ingestion, the evidence of poisoning 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.

Hi there.

I have a miniature daschund and i know they aren't supposed to have too much chocolate as it is toxic to them (and all other dogs).i don't think i would be to worried though as long as you don't give him any more!
I think it is only bad when they constantley have it.

My little Daschund is doing great. Thanks for the great information. I was able to call a friend of mine who happens to be a vet's assistant. She checked her books and told me that a dog would have had to eat 1 to 2 pounds of chocolate for a 20 pound dog to bring about the seizure stage. She said that we did exactly the right thing with the perioxide (another great big thank you for that suggestion!). Please understand though, I did not intentionally give her the chocolate. She ripped into an unopened bag while we were away from home. Needless to say, there is nothing within her reach any longer... open or not!

Everybody here will be happy to hear the good news. I am sorry if any of my posts, or anybody else's suggested you gave it to her. I certainly didn't give Sheba the seed corn. They just help themselves at times.

I wasn't sure 12 ounces of chocolate would be life threatening to a small dog or not, but felt it was worth while putting her through the discomfort of the peroxide induced vomiting.

While on a soccer camping trip, I had my daschund mix in a crate, in my motor home while I went up to shower. A few kids that were on the trip with us, feed her hershey's chocolate through the wire of her crate. (I didn't find this out till a few days later) That night she became restless.. and had diarrhea something awful. The next day when we came home, she vomited (shes a chronic vomit-er) and was lethargic and just looked miserable! I took her to the vet, still unsure of the cause, and she stayed for several days. (The kids not knowing they had done anything wrong, brought up the fact that they fed her candy at the next soccer game) Lucky, it turned out all right, but CANDY is bad for dogs, not just chocolate, because of a certain type of sugar. I was amazed at the long list of food No-No's for dogs... ALSO please note you can call your local poison control center, they are not only helpful for humans, but our canine friends as well! I was pleasantly surprised when the Poison control not only gave me advice, but called me later that night, and the next day to see how my pup was doing. (A separate time Missy ate a M and M cookie!)