Are Easter Eggs poisonous to dogs and cats?

With the Easter festivities coming up, there is always the risk of a dog being tempted to eat one of those tasty Easter Eggs !

Are Easter Eggs poisonous to dogs or cats ? Chocolate in general can be poisonous to dogs but it is the theobromide content in the chocolate that is poisonous. This is higher in dark chocolate (roughly 9x higher than milk chocolate). If a dog eats more than 1gm per kilogram body weight of dark chocolate, it can be poisonous and will require immediate treatment. So an average 30kg Labrador would need to eat 30gms or more of dark chocolate to be poisonous.

The symptoms of chocolate poisoning are vomiting, diarrhoea, trembling, restlessness and excessive thirst.

Chocolate is also potentially poisonous to cats, and other animals such as rodents and rabbits.

We suggest you keep your Easter Eggs to yourself this Easter !

If you have any concerns about possible chocolate poisoning please contact us. See www.youngvets.co.uk for your local young veterinary partnership contact details.