A PET owner has praised a Cardiff veterinary practice for saving her puppy who needed emergency treatment for chocolate poisoning after eating a tub of Quality Street.
Claire Haile realised at 1am that her 12-week-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Taran, was ill because he’d eaten chocolate, and she rushed him to the 24-hour Valley Veterinary Hospital in Gwaelod-y-Garth.
Claire had been sitting up overnight to keep an eye her new puppy because he’d been sick and lethargic. When he vomited up an undigested Quality Street sweet, she knew he needed to see a vet straight away because chocolate is highly toxic to dogs.
Chocolate can make dogs dangerously ill because it contains a chemical called theobromine that can cause organ failure.
At Valley Veterinary Hospital, Taran was given medication to bring up any chocolate that might still be in his stomach.
Night vet Trisha Mwewa, who treated Taran, says the pup is lucky that his owner acted quickly so they could limit the amount of damage the chocolate could cause.
Trisha said: “When Taran arrived at the hospital, he was very quiet and sad for a puppy but he still managed to wag his tail. Once we were happy that he’d brought up all the chocolate and wrappers, we gave him activated charcoal because it attracts harmful toxins so the body can’t absorb them. He was then kept in the hospital for a few hours so we could monitor his heart rate, because chocolate poisoning can cause dangerously irregular heart rhythms.
“Smaller dogs can be more severely affected by chocolate and I was surprised how much Taran had managed to eat – it looked like it could have been most of the 550g tub. Even the wrappers alone were dangerous to eat because they could have caused a blockage.
“Chocolate poisoning is something we see a lot, especially during seasons like Easter, Valentine’s and Christmas. In some cases it can be fatal, so it’s really important to prevent pets eating it in the first place and you should always keep chocolate and other sweets out of the reach of pets. As Taran has shown, they can even find chocolate that you thought was hidden away.”
Taran is now home in Maesycwmmer and owner Claire says she hadn’t been aware there was any chocolate in the house but the puppy had managed to get upstairs and sniffed out some left-over Christmas sweets in her son’s bedroom.
Her family is now being extra vigilant to make sure there’s nothing dangerous within the puppy’s reach.
Claire said: “It was such a frightening experience and I’m so grateful to Trisha and the team at Valley Vets for giving Taran the best possible care. It’s amazing that they are there to help at any time of day or night.
“I had been worried about Taran when he seemed poorly one evening, so I sat up with him and I couldn’t understand why his vomit was brightly coloured. Then I noticed a chocolate and remembered that the previous day Taran had gone upstairs. The Quality Street tub was in my son’s room, pushed under his desk, and had been forgotten about. When I looked inside the tub it was empty, apart from one solitary wrapper, and I knew I had to get Taran to a vet as soon as possible.
“Luckily, he’s none the worse for the experience but he is a typical Staffy who will eat anything given half a chance, so we’re being extra vigilant and keeping anything out of his way.”
Valley Veterinary Hospital prides itself on delivering the highest level of care to pets in Cardiff and the surrounding areas. It cares for cats, dogs and exotic pets and offers routine healthcare services as well as emergency treatment 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
Article by Jo Browne, PR & Communications manager (South), email: [email protected]