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Vet Shares Shocking Photo Of What Can Happen If You Give Your Dog Chocolate

Vet Shares Shocking Photo Of What Can Happen If You Give Your Dog Chocolate

WARNING: this photo is kinda gross.

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Ah Easter, is there a better excuse for a three-day bender, followed by eating your own body weight in chocolate?

It's not Easter without chocolate, is it? But, while it's all well and good for you to sit around, watching Ratatouille and eating chocolate all day, please don't got feeding any to your dog.

Now, we should know this. We get told every year, but still, there's always some dog owners who reckon Fido can handle a Freddo and then poor bugger ends up in the vets. At best this can make your dog sick, at worst it could kill them.

In this case, sharing definitely isn't caring.

No matter how angry he looks, don't feed him chocolate. Credit: PA

Chocolate contains a stimulant called theobromine, which naturally occurs in cocoa beans and is harmless to humans. However, for dogs it can be fatal, as it affects the central nervous system and heart.

Drumahoe Vets in Londonderry has shared a shocking image of a boxer dog who had eaten some chocolate, to serve as a warning to other pet owners.

Warning, this is gross. Seriously.

Well, you're here now, you may as well see it.

The poor dog was rushed into the vets, after eating chocolate and it went on to throw up. A lot.

The image was uploaded with the caption: "Not for the faint hearted but this is reality. Please think twice when you feed your dog chocolate! It is very poisonous. As Easter approaches make sure to keep all chocolate eggs away from your pets."

Since appearing on Facebook it's racked up over 23,000 comments and has been shared over 100,000 times.

If you suspect that your dog has managed to sneak itself some chocolate then you should take them straight to the vet, even if they appear OK.

A spokesperson from the RSPCA told LADbible: "The RSPCA would advise any pet owner to contact their vet immediately and follow their advice if they are worried about what their dog has eaten.

"Never watch and wait in any case of suspected poisoning. The effects can take hold quickly, so knowing the symptoms and how to respond to them can be the difference between life and death."

This fella hasn't had chocolate, but he definitely deserves a treat. Credit: PA

Every year thousands of pets are brought to veterinary surgeries due to theobromine poisoning, and research from LV= Pet Insurance found that at Easter, as well as Christmas, dogs are twice as likely to need medical attention for eating chocolate.

So unless you want to be cleaning up a mountain of sick, or worse coming to terms with losing your beloved pet, keep your chocolate and your pooch apart this Easter.

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Drumahoe Veterinary Clinic

Topics: Dog, Chocolate