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Dog Who Ate The Chocolate Santas Off Her Owner's Christmas Tree Is 'Lucky To Be Alive'

Lisa McLoughlin

Published 

Dog Who Ate The Chocolate Santas Off Her Owner's Christmas Tree Is 'Lucky To Be Alive'

Featured Image Credit: PSDA

A 14-year-old Parsons Russell Terrier needed life-saving treatment after polishing off four chocolate Santa decorations from the Christmas tree.

Sweet-toothed Lily was rushed to PDSA vets for emergency treatment after she gobbled the treats and was given a drug to safely make her sick as well as medication to prevent her body from absorbing any remaining toxins.

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Lily's owner Jenny Pomroy said: "I'd hung chocolate tree decorations high on the tree, as we do every year, but a few days before Christmas I walked into the sitting room to find decorations and tinsel all over the floor.

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"Lily must have climbed the sofa and pulled everything off to get to the chocolate.

"The foil wrappers were gone, so she must have eaten these too! I didn't realise how dangerous it was, but thankfully I'd heard that chocolate can be really poisonous to dogs, so I called PDSA straight away."

Sweet-toothed Lily was rushed to PDSA vets for emergency treatment after she gobbled chocolate Santas (Credit: PSDA)
Sweet-toothed Lily was rushed to PDSA vets for emergency treatment after she gobbled chocolate Santas (Credit: PSDA)

Thankfully, the cheeky canine has returned home to Gillingham to enjoy festive celebrations with her family but the charity is highlighting her story to warn pet owners to be extra vigilant this Christmas as many festive treats, including chocolate, can be toxic to our pets.

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PDSA Vet Soo Ming Teoh, said: "It was a good job that Lily was brought into the hospital. Chocolate toxicity is a real concern and her owners were really sensible to bring her straight down to us.

"The amount of chocolate she ate was dangerous for such a small dog and it could have been fatal if she'd been left untreated. The wrappers were an additional worry, as there's a chance they could have caused a dangerous gut blockage.

The cheeky canine was rushed to PSDA vets for emergency treatment (Credit: PSDA)
The cheeky canine was rushed to PSDA vets for emergency treatment (Credit: PSDA)

Adding: "Lily's blood tests revealed she wasn't out of the woods yet. She needed to be placed on a drip to help support her kidneys and we monitored her closely for the next 48 hours.

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"Lily was incredibly lucky she didn't suffer fatal kidney damage, and thankfully she was able to go home in time for Christmas."

Jenny is encouraging other pet owners to keep chocolate well out of reach of their pet's paws this Christmas

Explaining why chocolate is so dangerous for our pets, Soo Ming explained that the sweet treat contains a chemical called theobromine, which is toxic to most animals including dogs and cats.

Lily is now home with owner Jenny Pomroy in Kent (Credit: PSDA)
Lily is now home with owner Jenny Pomroy in Kent (Credit: PSDA)
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She said: "Signs a pet may have eaten chocolate can include vomiting, diarrhoea, drinking excessively, shaking and restlessness.

"At higher doses, signs can even progress to an abnormal heart rhythm, raised body temperature, rapid breathing and seizures. Without rapid treatment, chocolate poisoning can also cause kidney failure and in severe cases, death.

"It's best to contact the vet as soon as you notice your pet's eaten something, rather than waiting for symptoms, as by the time you see these signs the toxin has already passed into the body."

Topics: Dog, Real, Animals, Health

Lisa McLoughlin

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