Vets urge people to keep Easter eggs away from pets
Hot cross buns can also cause severe issues
Vets are highlighting the dangers of Easter eggs and other chocolates for pets.
Chocolate includes an ingredient called theobromine which is toxic to dogs, cats and rabbits and can lead to chocolate poisoning.
Anyone suspecting that their pet might have consumed chocolate, they are urged to call a vet.
Giovanna Hartley from Thameswood Vets told Greatest Hits Radio: “The seriousness of chocolate poisoning is based on the amount of cocoa that exists in the chocolate. White chocolate hasn't got any cocoa powder in it, so it's very low toxicity. The problems you may get from white chocolate is really just because of the high sugar and fat contents more than anything else.
“Milk chocolate, which is the bulk of all Easter eggs, is fairly toxic and becomes more toxic depending on the size of your dog and the amount of chocolate that has been eaten. And the worst one obviously is the very special and often very expensive dark chocolate with lots of cocoa.”
While cats and rabbits can be affected by chocolate poisoning, they tend to show lower interest in the sweet treat than dogs.
Many dog owners are aware of the dangers of leaving chocolate in reach of their four-legged friends, but issues can come up when friends or family members who do not have pets visit over the holidays.
“You're sort of already conditioned to make sure that your Labrador is nowhere near any food, whereas other people eat a bit of chocolate and leave it somewhere where you wouldn't leave it and hence the issues”, Ms. Hartley pointed out.
“We've had dogs go through whole boxes of Quality Streets and gone through several Easter eggs as well. They also have problems with the packaging because Easter eggs come a lot of nice silver foil packaging which causes blockages as well.”
If you have reason to believe that your dog has eaten any chocolate, Ms. Hartley recommends calling a vet who can then make a call based on the size of the dog and the amount of chocolate consumed.
The signs of chocolate poisoning in pets are similar to when a child eats too many sweet treats.
“They might be running around, they might be a little bit feeling a bit anxious, they might sort of want to vomit but don’t vomit. They may seem to be acting as if they've got a bit of a tummy ache.
“Within a couple of hours, you probably get some diarrhoea as well. Other things are fast breathing or panting and shaking and sometimes also trembling.
“And in very bad cases, going into a fit. Clinically we see a very fast heart rate, the blood pressure goes up and the temperature goes up as well”, she explained.
Even though vets will often make the dog vomit to get rid of the toxins in its body, this practice should not be done at home as it can lead to long-term issues if done incorrectly.
In severe cases of chocolate poisoning, dogs might have to stay at the vet or be hospitalised.