Chihuahua in Glasgow Vets Now clinic after eating Easter egg 'virtually his own size'

A tiny chihuahua cross dog had to be rushed for emergency vet treatment after eating an entire chocolate Easter egg which was “virtually his own size”.

Owner Katy McGarry, from Kirkintilloch, was “horrified” to find that rescue dog Fizz had eaten the whole egg.

“He has been such a good boy and never ate anything he shouldn’t,” Ms McGarry said.

“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.”

Having previously worked in a vet practice, she was aware of how dangerous chocolate can be for dogs and rushed Fizz to the Vets Now Hospital in Glasgow.

Since the five-year-old chihuahua cross weighs just 4.5kg, she feared the worst from the toxic effect.

“He’d even eaten some of the foil and I was in a blind panic,” said Ms McGarry 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.

Fizz was taken straight in for treatment by vet Emily Todd and the team.

“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,” Ms Todd said.

“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.”

Ms McGarry was allowed to take Fizz home, with a supply of activated charcoal to help reduce further absorption from any remaining chocolate.

“I’d definitely urge any pet owners to be ultra-careful with chocolate at Easter,” she said.

“The vets were brilliant, but it was so worrying.”