Dog Owners Warned Over Toxic Hot Cross Buns After Pet Nearly Dies

But dog owners have again been warned about the risks of allowing their pets to eat food made for humans, after Labradoodle Ralph nearly lost his life after swiping some hot cross buns from an unattended plate.

The treat may seem innocent enough, but it actually contains two things that are toxic to dogs - and potentially fatal. Both raisins, and nutmeg - a common ingredient in the Easter baked good - are extremely dangerous to dogs.

Ralph, who was on holiday in Penicuik, Midlothian, was rushed to Vets Now's out of hours service in Edinburgh when his owner realised something was wrong.

Keith Jeary, 65, said he knew he had to take Ralph straight to receive medical attention when he noticed he had eaten the buns.

He said: "When I saw the plate with nothing on it the alarm bells rang.

"Knowing how dangerous raisins can be, we weren't going to chance it."

Vets Now's Laura Playforth issued a warning to dog owners over the incident.

She said: "It's unclear what causes the toxic effects but just one can kill so real caution should be taken with foods, such as hot cross buns, that contain them.

"It's also worth bearing in mind that inducing vomiting doesn't clear 100 per cent of the contents of a dog's stomach so there's no guarantee this form of treatment will always be successful."

Thankfully, Ralph made a full recovery.

Although it's never a good idea to take the risk, dogs prove time and time again how resilient they can be.

Denis and Kathy Parslow, from Adelaide noticed their pup had been acting out of character, behaving more subdued than usual. After receiving an antibiotics shot from the vets, the symptoms continued which was when a scan revealed the package in his stomach.

Vets operated, removing the stash which had started to leak. Shelby made a full recovery after receiving treatment for the effects of the drugs.