Easter Holiday Shocker! Creme Eggs Nearly Killed This Dog

Sweet-toothed Labrador, Buster, has made an egg-cellent recovery thanks to PDSA – after he collapsed with chocolate poisoning from wolfing down a dozen chocolate cream eggs!

Five-year-old Buster’s owner, Brenda Dawes, from Derby, brought the chocolate eggs as an Easter treat for her grandchildren. She hid them away in her spare bedroom, but didn’t count on mischievous Buster sniffing them out.

Brenda says: “When I arrived home one afternoon, Buster came down the stairs, wagging his tail and licking his lips. I knew immediately he’d been up to something. He’s a terror and chews everything he gets his paws on – mobile phones, video tapes, the remote control.”

Brenda went upstairs to investigate and found her Easter presents missing and just one empty box lying on the floor – Buster had eaten all 12 chocolate eggs, their foil wrapping and one of the cardboard containers!

“I knew you shouldn’t give dogs chocolate, but I didn’t realise it was poisonous,” continues Brenda. “Buster was fine the rest of the night and we went to bed without any problems so I thought he was going to be fine. But at about 5am he woke me up howling in pain. He couldn’t stand up; his back legs just kept buckling underneath him. His stomach was swollen and he was obviously in a lot of pain. Panicking, I called PDSA and they told me to bring him straight in.”

Brenda struggled to carry five stone Buster to her car and rushed him straight to Derby PDSA PetAid hospital. Once there he was treated with fluids and placed in intensive care for round-the-clock observation.

Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Vicky Sims, says: “Buster was quite lucky. Cream eggs have a fairly low theobromine content because they’re half fondant. Higher quality ‘posh’ chocolates are the most dangerous as they have high concentrated doses of theobromine – which poisons pets.

“Many people are simply not aware that even small amounts of human chocolate can kill a little dog. If you want to indulge your pet you should opt for a healthy pet treat instead.”

As Brenda found out, despite owners best intentions, our four-legged friends will outsmart us and get their paws on sweet treats, as Vicky explains: “Owners may think that they have put chocolate in a safe place, but it’s not unheard of for pets to open cupboards and doors to feast on naughty treats. PDSA’s advice is to make sure unsuitable foods are kept well away from prying paws – especially Easter eggs.”

Thanks to Derby PetAid hospital’s quick treatment, Buster has now made a full recovery. Brenda concluded: “I can’t thank PDSA enough for their help, the idea of losing Buster is just unimaginable. He doesn’t seem to have leant his lesson though. He’s already tried to eat a bag of crisps and a toilet roll since he’s been home – I’ll have to keep a close eye on him from now on to keep him out of trouble.”

The effects of chocolate poisoning in dogs usually appear within 6 to 12 hours of ingestion, and can last as long as 72 hours. Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal tenderness, restlessness and increased heart and breathing rate. In severe cases there may be fits, heart beat irregularities or coma. If dogs ingest a large quantity of theobromine and are left untreated, the poisoning can prove fatal.

For more information on pet health log onto www.pdsa.org.uk.

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Tags:  Animal Welfare