Chocolate poisoning on Easter break

When Adrian Brown and his wife Lynne decided to get a dog to join their family in Beaconsfield, they were looking for something intelligent, with boundless energy, and a playful nature. They decided on a Show Cocker Spaniel and Herbie, now 2, has met the brief completely, becoming a much loved member of the family.

Close up of black and white Cocker Spaniel, Herbie

Stolen chocolate

Last Easter Adrian, Lynne and the children went to Cornwall for the holidays. With all the excitement of arriving, no-one noticed that Herbie had rummaged through a carrier bag of food and found some chocolate. They wondered why he was a bit quiet, until they discovered he had made a feast of some chocolate brioche buns and an actual bar of chocolate, probably about an hour earlier.

Rushed to local vet

Chocolate is poisonous to dogs because it contains theobromine and caffeine, which dogs can’t metabolise, so Adrian and Lynne contacted Agria who administer their Kennel Club Pet Insurance policy who were able to give them the number of a local vet. The Browns whisked Herbie straight there, where he was given an emetic drug to make him sick. Once he’d emptied his stomach, he was given activated charcoal to bind with any toxins remaining in the gut, and prescribed other medication.

“In the grand scheme of things, insurance is inexpensive and essential”

Adrian

Thankfully, Herbie suffered no further ill effects, and was released from hospital that day. Adrian says the fact the vet recognised their Kennel Club insurance policy made the whole process much easier.

When the Browns collected Herbie from his breeder, he came with a 5 weeks free Kennel Club insurance policy and they chose to continue it with a lifetime policy.

About the Author

Sam Khan shares her woodland home with Junior, the cat, Gully, the dog and bunnies Hugo & Billy, sometimes playing the family’s ‘favourite’ game with the tortoise – “Where’s Churchill?” She loves writing for Agria, sharing our passion for animal welfare, protecting biodiversity and the environment. When not writing or illustrating, she will be making something, reading a book or swimming in the lake at the bottom of her lane.