Vets have issued a warning to pet owners as they brace themselves for a surge in cases of pets poisoned by chocolate this Easter.
Chocolate toxicity cases soared by 236pc last Easter, according to Vets Now, the pet equivalent of A&E. Other than Christmas, Easter is said to be second busiest time of the year for dogs being treated for chocolate poisoning.
One dog, a miniature dachshund named Bertie, had to be rushed to the vets after scoffing a huge bowl of chocolates at his home in Sale. Bertie leapt from the sofa into the mountain of Quality Streets, Heroes and Celebrations while his owner Claire Cully was out shopping.
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Claire said she believed the chocolates would be safe on her living room table as Bertie’s tiny legs are too small for him to climb onto it. However, some of her furniture had been moved while new flooring was put down, which allowed Bertie to use the sofa as a springboard.
After successfully landing on the forbidden table, sixteen-month-old Bertie wolfed down the chocolates with the wrappers still on.
When Claire and her partner Luke returned home, they found dog-chewed wrappers and dozens of half-eaten chocolates strewn around the living room. Bertie, meanwhile, was whimpering in discomfort and had a noticeably swollen stomach.
Knowing how poisonous chocolate can be for dogs – and amazed by the quantity Bertie had got through – Claire phoned Vets Now. Minutes later, she, Luke and Bertie were on their way to its 24-hour pet emergency hospital in Whitefield.
Vets Now staff rushed Bertie in and gave him medicine to make him sick and stop the chocolates settling in his system. A large amount of chocolate then came out of Bertie’s tummy.
After an anxious wait for Claire and Luke, Bertie was well enough to return home two hours later.
Claire said: “We are always so careful when we go out to make sure there’s no food Bertie might be able to get hold of. But with the sofa having moved a bit, it obviously gave him a platform to get to the table which had been totally out of reach before.
“It was a big, big bowl of chocolates and he ate his way through the whole thing, except for a few toffee pennies and strawberry creams which he turned his nose up – which is proof I suppose that dogs are like humans and there’ll always be something left over that no-one likes!”
Chocolate contains a caffeine-like chemical called theobromine which dogs are sensitive to and which can cause an overstimulation of their muscles, including their heart.
“We were lucky that we weren’t out for long and were able to get Bertie help straightaway," said Claire.
“But with Easter coming up I’m conscious there’s going to be a lot of chocolate lying around in people’s houses. And the sincere advice I’d give any other owners is please get help from a vet straightaway if your dog does get hold of some.”
Bertie – who Luke has given the middle name Marcelo, in honour of ex-Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa – has fully recovered from his mishap.
Dave Leicester, Vets Now head of telehealth, said: “Unfortunately, we see a big rise in chocolate toxicity cases at Easter and it shows owners can never be too careful. Our advice is to keep chocolate treats well away from your dog. As long as it’s treated early and there’s been no organ damage, the prognosis for chocolate toxicity is generally good, but we’d like to help pet owners avoid a trip to the emergency room over Easter.”
Dave continued: “The effects of chocolate poisoning in dogs usually appear within 12 hours and can last up to three days. First signs can include excessive thirst, vomiting, diarrhoea and restlessness. These symptoms can then develop into hyperactivity, tremors, abnormal heart rate, hyperthermia and rapid breathing. In severe cases, dogs can experience fits and heartbeat irregularities and some cases can result in coma or death.”
To help worried pet owners deal with suspected chocolate poisonings in their pets, Vets Now has an online chocolate toxicity calculator to work out whether your dog has eaten a potentially toxic amount.
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