Grove Vets in Ballymena have some advice that they want to pass on about sharing chocolate with your dog.

Grove Vet Ballymena - Don’t share your Easter Egg with you dog
Keeping your dog away from Chocolate is a very important thing to do. At this time of the year we all are surrounded by Easter eggs and we want to take this opportunity to remind dog owners of a very important lesson.

Grove Vets Ballymena – Don’t share your Easter Egg with your dog.

Here is some information from Dogs Trust.

Dogs Trust Veterinary Director, Paula Boyden, comments:
“Apart from the risks of obesity and the obvious dangers of eating the foil wrapping, the biggest risk of eating human chocolate is poisoning, resulting in an emergency dash to the vet and sadly even death. Chocolate contains theobromine, which, tolerated by humans, is extremely toxic to man’s best friend. The darker the chocolate, the greater the amount of theobromine. Toxic doses vary according to the size of dog and cocoa solid content of the chocolate.
“Dogs Trust estimates that 50g of plain chocolate could be enough to kill a small dog, such as a Yorkshire Terrier*, whilst just 400g could be enough to kill an average size dog, so we urge people to make sure they keep treats well out of the reach of pesky paws and make sure children don’t share their Easter eggs with their furry friends.
“So that your canine companion doesn’t feel left out, we would advise giving them healthy treats such as carrots, cheese or tripe snacks. But, whatever your non-chocolatey treat of choice, just as is the case for us all, moderation is the key to a happy, healthy dog.”
If you want to treat your dog this Easter, stick to natural doggy snacks that are kinder to your canine.

Cases of death by an Easter egg alone are relatively unlikely, most reported cases of death by theobromine are from dogs eating cocoa powder and cocoa mulch in the garden, so please be vigilant if your dog is also exposed to these products. Click here to read the full report.
Please get in touch with Grove Vets in Ballymena if you have any worries of concerns about your dog eating chocolate.