A tiny dog was rushed to the vet after it scoffed a huge Easter egg that was nearly its own size. Chihuahua cross Fizz, aged five, nicked the chocolate egg from under a bed where it has been stashed by owner Katy McGarry.
Katy, 38, was having dinner when she realised rescue dog Fizz wasn’t by her side and went through to the bedroom where she discovered he had got into the egg.
Having previously worked in a vet practice, she knew just how dangerous chocolate could be and rushed him to the Vets Now Hospital in Glasgow.
Katy, who has two other rescue dogs, said: “He has been such a good boy and never ate anything he shouldn’t.
“I’d put some Easter eggs under the bed last year and just didn’t think there would be a problem.
“We were having dinner and, when I realised he wasn’t around as always, I went through and found him in the bedroom.
“There was green foil everywhere and the whole egg was gone.
“It was huge and, as he’s so tiny it really was the same size as him.
“He’d even eaten some of the foil and I was in a blind panic.”
Katy, from Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, feared the worst for pooch Fizz who weighs just 4.5kg.
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She said: “When I told them how small he was and how much he’d eaten, we were told to get him there as fast as we could.
“I knew the smallest amount of chocolate could do terrible damage, so I was thinking that he might not survive.”
Chocolate contains theobromine, which dogs can’t break down like humans and affects the guts, heart, central nervous system and kidneys.
It can lead to sickness, diarrhoea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate and seizures.
Vet Emily Todd and the team were waiting at the city centre hospital, and Fizz was rushed straight in for treatment.
Emily said: “We did a calculation and because of his size and the amount he’s eaten, we were concerned about the possibility of dangerous symptoms like seizures.
“But because he had been brought in very early, we were able to give Fizz an injection to make him sick and he brought up most of the chocolate before it was absorbed into the body.
“We’d always urge owners to keep chocolate away from dogs, but if they do get hold of it, we are always there to advise and give treatment if necessary.
“Acting quickly is always important.”
Katy was allowed to take Fizz home, with a supply of activated charcoal to help reduce further absorption from any remaining chocolate.
As he now has the taste for chocolate, Katy is taking no risks this year with any Easter eggs being kept out of the way.
She said: “I’d definitely urge any pet owners to be ultra-careful with chocolate at Easter.
“The vets were brilliant, but it was so worrying.”
