Warning to pet owners after dog eats a dozen Crème Eggs

Bruce also scoffed several bars of dark chocolate, which could have cost him his life.

Now Bruce’s owner, Alison Rothery, from Fordingbridge, is backing calls from pet emergency experts Vets Now for pet owners to keep all chocolate safely out of reach this Easter — and to seek urgent help if their animals do manage to get hold of any.

Alison said: “We had the Easter chocolate high up in the larder, right at the back and actually on a shelf above where we thought he couldn’t possibly have reached.

“But I came down to find Bruce’s bed full of Crème Egg wrappers and chocolate bar wrappers.

"We must have left the door ajar and he’d obviously sniffed his way in, stood up and helped himself.

“He actually didn’t seem out of sorts, just a bit over-excited, probably because of all the sugar.

"But when I realised just how much chocolate he’d eaten I knew I needed to get help.

Labradoodle Bruce recovering after scoffing chocolate

“The Crème Eggs were obviously a concern, but I was more worried about the dark chocolate as I knew that could be worse.

“And although this was first thing, I couldn’t be sure if he’d just eaten them or he’d had them earlier in the night and he’d had them in his system for hours.”

Alison quickly called her daytime vet and, as it was a weekend, she was directed to the Vets Now Salisbury clinic.

It’s one of a nationwide chain of more than 60 hospitals and clinics open seven days a week for out-of-hours pet emergencies.

Labradoodle Bruce

Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which is poisonous to dogs. The amount depends on the type, with dark chocolate the most toxic.

It mainly affects the guts, heart, central nervous system and kidneys and common symptoms are vomiting, diarrhoea, restlessness, hyperactivity and seizures.

Senior vet surgeon Dave Hollinshead at Vets Now said: “While Crème Eggs are not particularly high in theobromine, dark chocolate is and it was clear Bruce had ingested a toxic amount.

“After discussing the situation with his owners, our team in Salisbury gave Bruce an injection and he brought up a lot of chocolate and quite a few wrappers.

“Thankfully, after further checks, we were able to allow him home with a prescription of activated charcoal which helps to absorb any toxins left in the system.

“Easter eggs are obviously a big favourite at this time of year.

"But while they are a nice treat for adults and children, they are a real hazard for pets so do please take care.”

Labradoodle Bruce

Alison was just thrilled to be able to get Bruce back later that day and knows he was lucky.

“I had every faith in the staff at Vets Now and they did a brilliant job,” added Alison.

“He was a little sorry for himself for a day or so but was happily back to his old self after that.

“We’re taking absolutely no chances now.

"Ever since it happened, we’ve been putting any chocolate in the fridge and that’s where the Easter eggs will be going from now on.”

All of Vets Now’s premises always have a vet and vet nurse on site.

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