Choc horror for Leeds dog after eating 1kg of Easter goodies

With Easter just around the corner, the UK's largest vet charity, PDSA, has issued a warning to all pet owners on the dangers of chocolate. It comes after a two-year-old pup needed emergency care when he wolfed down a whopping 1kg of chocolate.  

OId English Bulldog, Bailey Charnley, got his paws on a whole range of chocolate goodies that his owner, Leah Charnley (21), had bought for her little boy.   

Thinking they were out of reach in her son Oakley's (2) room upstairs, Leah had stashed  two large Easter eggs, two small Easter eggs, two boxes of Smarties, two packs of chocolate buttons and a pack of Mini Eggs. 

"Somehow Bailey managed to get upstairs and into Oakley's room," Leah explained. "He made his way through the whole lot, chocolate, cardboard and tinfoil included. When I found him, I couldn't believe it. I immediately panicked and rang our local PDSA who told me to bring him in straightaway."  

Leah and her mum, Julia, who she lives with in Wykebeck, took Bailey to their local Leeds PDSA Pet Hospital. 

"The vets examined him as soon as we got there and gave an injection to make him sick. He was sick quite heavily, and you could see the chocolate and wrappers!  

"We were sent home with activated charcoal, which the vets said helps stop the body absorbing the toxin found in chocolate, and told to give him a bland diet for 24 hours.  

"He was absolutely fine after that. I couldn't believe it. I was fearing the worst!" 

Leah, who is about to start work in a local care home, said she was 'so thankful' to PDSA. 

"I can't thank PDSA enough for what they did for Bailey," she added. "He is like my other baby, and I know it could have been a lot worse had they not been there to help us." 

PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing said: "Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine, which is perfectly safe for humans, but toxic for dogs, cats and rabbits. 

"The seriousness of chocolate poisoning depends on how much chocolate your pet has eaten, how big they are, and the cocoa content of the chocolate – the darker the chocolate the more toxic it is for your pet."  

Thankfully for Bailey, he was seen quickly and the team at PDSA were able to help him.  

"Symptoms of chocolate poisoning usually appear within two to four hours but can take up to 12 hours," Nina dded. "In severe cases, toxicity can cause vomiting and an upset stomach, fast breathing or panting, shaking, trembling and tremors, high temperature (fever), seizures, a fast heart rate and high blood pressure.  

"The most severe cases of chocolate poisoning in pets can lead to heart failure, coma and even death. Although this is rare, this is why it's really important to keep chocolate safely away from prying paws. Especially during festivities like Easter when there's usually more chocolate in the house.  

"The injection given to Bailey to make him sick, which we use for cases of both chocolate and raisin toxicity, sees an average increase in use at our Pet Hospitals of about 23% around Easter. It can cost PDSA as much as £280 to treat a dog for chocolate poisoning."

If you are concerned your pet may have eaten chocolate, keep the packaging and call your vet immediately. Find out more at pdsa.org.uk/chocolate-poisoning