VET WARNS OF FESTIVE FOOD DANGER

PALMA
DOG lovers in Majorca have been warned that feeding their pets chocolate during the festive season could kill them.
Bendinat vet Nick Murgatroyd and his colleagues are on emergency call throughout the celebrations. He explained they were mainly called out during the festive break to deal with dogs who had eaten chocolate or stuffed themselves with excessive amounts of turkey and stuffing.

Nick warned that chocolate was deadly for some dogs. “It affects animals in various degrees of severity,” said Nick. “For some animals it just makes them feel sick, but others can be killed if they eat chocolate,” added Nick. He urged pet owners to ensure that any open boxes of chocolates were stored safely away from dogs and that sweet-toothed animals were not allowed to steal any goodies from around the Christmas tree. “Pet owners think they are being kind to their dogs, but too much rich food and especially chocolate can be absolutely deadly,” he added.
Nick said the bulk of emergency call-outs during the festive period were to deal with dogs who had consumed too much food. “We are always on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” he commented.