Chocolate-Stealing Dachshund Costs Owner $160 in Vet Bills: 'Worth It'

A dog owner is $160 poorer after their dachshund sneakily consumed "a full bowl of chocolate."

Despite the container being on a table out of reach, Gaston somehow managed to devour the forbidden treat, before spending his Saturday throwing up at the emergency vets.

The stealthy sausage dog's owner (@gaston.theminidachshund) shared the sorry tale on TikTok. Captioned "Worth it," the unfortunate but hilarious clip has received almost 6 million views and over 800,000 likes.

Why Can't Dogs Eat Chocolate?

We know that eating too much sweet stuff is bad for us, but if you're a dog, you've got more to worry about than just empty calories.

According to VCA Animal Hospitals, canines cannot metabolize theobromine—the key toxin in chocolate—as well as humans do. Similar to caffeine, theobromine is a methylxanthine (a form of mild stimulant), with its negative effects far more pronounced in dogs.

If a dog consumes a small amount of chocolate, it will likely experience vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination, panting, restlessness and a racing heartbeat. Large amounts can lead to muscle tremors, seizures and even heart failure.

Chocolate also contains caffeine, which in large amounts can cause similar symptoms to theobromine poisoning.

If your dog has ingested chocolate, VCA advises getting them to a vet as soon as possible. If the dog has eaten the chocolate recently, then treatment will involve induced vomiting and activated charcoal to prevent the theobromine from being digested. If the case is more serious, then the dog will be given intravenous fluids to help stabilize them.

'Living on the Edge'

The video begins with the Dachshund sitting on his owner's lap while they urgently drive him to the vet.

In the video captions, Gaston's owner wrote: "POV: you ate a full bowl of chocolate on Saturday morning so your parents are afraid you might die."

The next clip shows Gaston sitting on the vet's examination table. Despite wolfing down the chocolate, he seems fine for the moment, wagging his tail.

However, he soon starts to heave, and an hour later, Gaston is "sad and sick."

"[We] lost $160 because of the 'weekend' rate," @gaston.theminidachshund wrote alongside footage of the poor pooch. Curled up in his owner's arms as they drive home, Gaston certainly seems under the weather.

Fortunately, in the following clip, Gaston is back to his old self.

"Don't care, worth it," the caption said.

TikTok users felt for the pet parents—and their empty wallet—with lilsimnailart writing: "Of course this happens on the weekend."

"The lack of remorse that a dachshund has always astonishes me," said steen.eats.

"Living on the edge," wrote nia.

"No One Barks like Gaston, No One Scarfs Like Gaston, No One Eats All The Chocolate and Barfs Like Gaston!" joked Amanda.

Newsweek has reached out to @gaston.theminidachshund for comment.

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