We’re a Quality Street family and always have been. I’m not sure why we still are as ever since they dropped the coffee cream I prefer Roses and that’s before we even get onto Miniature Heroes or Celebrations. However, last Christmas the boys, my Mum and I were playing some sort of game in which we were using around a dozen Quality Street as counters. Enthralling as it was, I wasn’t too displeased when Annelise announced that it was time for dinner and so we left the game “in progress” to return once we had eaten.
Half an hour later when we went to resume the game, not a single Quality Street was present. What’s more, despite an in-depth forensic examination of the crime scene, there wasn’t even any evidence that they had ever been there at all – not a shred of a wrapper or a crumb of chocolate was present. Obviously the first two suspects had opposing thumbs but after some thorough questioning and mild threats, it became apparent that neither Elliott nor Owen were guilty, so the attention turned to the four dogs who were present: Our two Labradors, Rye and Iris, German Shorthaired Pointer, Scout or my Mum’s Cocker Spaniel, Fennel. We agreed that the amount ingested could potentially be toxic to a dog, so the sensible thing to do was to make the culprit sick. But who?!?
I went to the practice to obtain some apomorphine – an injection of which will make most pooches vomit within 15 minutes or so. When I got back, I was faced with 4 pairs of innocent eyes saying, “It wasn’t me!”. What followed was a rather foul smelling game of doggy roulette in which we had to guess who was most likely to have snaffled the chocolates.
Rye was first – seasoned Labrador with form for eating rat poison, scrumping apples and generally being a dustbin. However, we drew a blank and only dog food was regurgitated. After an apologetic pat, Scout (may she rest in peace) was deemed next most likely. Labrador she wasn’t but she was a regular thief of unguarded food and cunning to match. How guilty we felt when she too showed us nothing but a second breakfast. This left Iris and Fennel. Mum was adamant that her well trained Fennel would do no such thing, but Iris has no finesse at all and we couldn’t see how she could have left no evidence. In the end, labrador trumped spaniel and rightly so as shortly after the “jab”, Iris verified our suspicions with all the quality street wrappers produced! This also left Fennel in the clear much to my Mum’s relief.
Apomorphine doesn’t last long, so 15 minutes later, other than the slight aroma of chocolatey dog vomit, the incident was resolved and we could get back to playing a game which didn’t involve tempting chocolates at nose level!
It’s a timely reminder that at this time of year there are more toxins to dogs and cats around than usual. The main protagonists are of course, chocolate as well as Christmas puddings and mince pies (raisins), macadamia nuts, chives, onions, leeks, garlic and good old tinsel to name but a few. The best advice if you suspect your pet may have eaten anything toxic is to call us and we will advise you how to proceed – it will often involve making your pet sick! We hope you have a great Christmas and remember, prevention is better than cure, so best to avoid dietary indiscretion in the first place!
