A DOG owner is urging people to keep Easter eggs out of paws reach after her beloved pet nearly died from chocolate poisoning.
While the Berkeley family cooked Easter dinner at their Stratford home, Star the Basset Hound was having a feast of her own – on all of their chocolate eggs.
The greedy pup had eaten five large eggs and six crème eggs and had to be rushed to the vets to have her stomach pumped.
The family were told she may not have survived if they had not found the dog when they did.
Mum Stephanie, who works at insurers NFU Mutual, said: “The children and I heard rustling coming from upstairs only to discover an array of cardboard and foil scattered across the landing. I had hidden the family’s Easter eggs in the spare bedroom but somehow Star had got in. She looked so unwell and was drooling chocolate from the sides of her mouth.
“My immediate reaction was to ring the vet as I’d read that chocolate was poisonous to dogs and we were asked to take her in immediately.
“As we bundled the dog in the car, the children got increasingly distraught as we all realised the seriousness of the situation. The vets stayed open and asked us to leave Star overnight so they could pump her stomach and keep an eye on her.
“We reluctantly headed home and spent a sleepless night worrying about Star. Fortunately she was well enough to be collected in the morning and although she was very weak and had a hoarse throat from vomiting, she recovered within a few days.”
Stephanie is now urging other dog owners to keep their Easter treats out of their dog’s reach, along with flowers and foods containing raisins – such as hot cross buns – which are also poisonous.
She said: “Had we not found Star when we did she would have died. I’m just glad we got her to the vet so quickly and that we were insured.
“We are still over cautious about leaving chocolate out, particularly at Easter and Christmas. What happened to Star could happen to any dog, whatever their nature. Star isn’t a scavenging dog – she’s never fed scraps and she doesn’t beg for food but she still ate an astonishing amount of chocolate and it put her life at risk.”
