Dog rushed for treatment after midnight feast
A Stonehouse family’s dog was rushed for emergency veterinary treatment after helping herself to a midnight feast.
Black Labrador Tess ended up on an IV drip after gorging on a bin bag full of sweet treats that included chocolate and raisins.
Her owner, Douglas Thompson, said that the seven-year-old carried out the raid just after he had gone to bed.
Tess’s astonishing haul included 100g of white chocolate, 20g of milk chocolate, four cocoa orange bars, three oat bars, a 150g bag of salted peanuts and three-quarters of a 500g bag of cashew nuts.
She also polished off two Cadbury’s Brunch bars, a box of whole nuts, a bar of salted peanut caramel and a mint hot chocolate powder.
Mr Thompson said:“the bag was tied up and in a part of the house Tess isn’t meant to access.
“However, in the period between myself and my wife going to bed and my son coming home, she somehow managed to get to it.
“My son woke us up, so we took Tess straight to Vets Now meaning she received treatment within a few hours of eating. “Tess will eat anything. “In fact, given half a chance she would probably do the same thing again. Thankfully, she’s fine now.”
Vet surgeon Ana-maria Rotariu was part of the team — at the Vets Now 24/7 emergency and speciality hospital in Glasgow — who treated Tess.
She said:“we see a big increase n toxin exposure cases at this time of year, often as a result of dogs eating things they shouldn’t such as chocolate, raisins and certain types of nuts.
“However, Tess’s case was quite exceptional due to the amount she had consumed.
“Thankfully, her owners brought her straight to the hospital, which meant we were able to take action very quickly.
“After two nights of fluids, medication and close monitoring, she went home feeling fine.”
Dozens of human foods are dangerous for dogs, with the most common being chocolate, corn on the cob, grapes and raisins.
Others include alcohol, caffeine, onions, garlic, avocado, milk and anything high in salt or fat.
Dog owners should also avoid feeding their dogs macadamia nuts or black walnuts, as both can cause problems.
However, unsalted cashew nuts, walnuts and peanuts are considered acceptable as long as they are only eaten in small doses. Dogs of any age, breed or gender can be affected by food poisoning.
Owners who suspect their pet has eaten something toxic should not wait for signs or symptoms to appear before they contact a vet.
Instead, they should telephone their vet immediately or, out of hours, their nearest Vets Now pet emergency clinic.