Warning as puppy dies after eating plums

A dog owner has warned others about the dangers of plums after his beloved puppy died from eating the fruit, which can be poisonous to the animals.

Campbell Scott’s five-month-old “little topper” Fern ate several yellow plums on a walk in Sunnybank Park in Aberdeen last Thursday.

Mr Scott hadn’t been aware of the danger they pose to dogs, until the flat coat terrier suffered from toxic shock and lost the use of her legs.

The dog was raced to the Ardene House veterinary practice in Kingswells, but died within an hour of swallowing the fruit.

A tearful Mr Scott shared a video on social media, advising others to be on their guard, which

“It’s all about the stone rather than the flesh, I’ve been told”

has now been watched by more than 150,000 people.

Mr Scott, who runs the Scot Surf School in Aberdeen, is desperate to make more people aware the stones in plums contain a cyanide substance which can be fatal if eaten by dogs.

He told the Press and Journal: “It’s all about the stone rather than the flesh, I’ve been told, as it is full of traces of cyanide.

“As Fern ate the plums whole it’s likely to be that which caused the toxic shock. It’s nice to see this video going viral as we never knew about this.

“I’m a little bit broken, but there have been so many kind comments and a lot of people saying they also didn’t know.”

Yesterday, Mr Scott posted a follow-up video online from Aberdeen beach – his “favourite place” – saying that he had been “overwhelmed” by the scale of the response.

He said: “I think the word has got out – remember it is the stones inside the plums that cause the problems.”