Chocolate is toxic to dogs - a warning for owners

One evening last April, at around 7pm, Buddy's owner, Isobel, and her family became concerned as he had started being sick. They tried to work out what he had eaten that may have caused the dark brown vomit, and soon discovered a partially eaten Easter egg that had accidentally been left in Buddy's reach.

It appeared that he had eaten about half of the egg, plus some of the contents, including Smarties and other chocolates. 

On the journey to the emergency vets, Buddy was shaking and gagging, and was immediately given charcoal treatment and put on a drip, and kept in overnight. In the morning, he was transfered to his usual vet, where he was kept in for monitoring for the rest of the day before being allowed home later in the evening. 

Isobel says, "Buddy was very shaken up and came home with a bandage on. It was such a scary thing to go through, to see him so ill was really horrible. I would urge all dog owners to be really careful when chocolate is around - it is so easy for a dog to get hold of it, and we are just very grateful that Buddy was OK."

The total amount claimed was £971.66.

Vicki Wentworth, Managing Director of Agria Pet Insurance says, “Every year, we see increased cases of dogs poisoned by chocolate during Easter and Christmas periods. Often with more chocolate around, plus school holidays and unusual routines, it can be all too easy for dogs to get hold of Easter eggs and boxes of chocolates accidentally. Never underestimate just how adept a determined dog can be at getting hold of a treat they like the smell of - we are always surprised by the lengths some dogs go to to get what they want! So please keep chocolate, or anything toxic to your pets, far from their reach."