Pet lovers are being urged to protect dogs and cats from the perils of eating chocolate in the run-up to Easter.
The warning comes after a hungry Patterdale terrier named Polly wolfed down 20 chocolate cakes and cheated death only because her owner realised the mortal danger.
Yvonne Taylor saw her pet pooch tucking into the plate of cupcakes, which had been left to cool in the kitchen of her home in Southampton.
Large amounts of normal chocolate can kill dogs because it contains "theobromine" a substance that is toxic in their digestive system.
Alert to the danger Yvonne made a call to a local PDSA PetAid Hospital and one-year-old Polly was taken in for emergency treatment.
Vets pumped out Polly's stomach under general anaesthetic and she has made a full recovery.
Yvonne, 60, said: "I'd locked the kitchen door so Polly couldn't get the cakes, not realising she was still in the room.
"I bet she couldn’t believe her luck. When I found her she was sitting on the table surrounded by crumbs and wrappers.
"I remembered reading that cocoa could be poisonous to pets, and having used quite a lot in the cakes, I was very worried.
"The PDSA said that the amount of chocolate she had eaten would probably have been fatal without treatment.
"She was taken into the hospital and had her stomach cleared of the chocolate and she was soon back home with us.
"Polly was shaking all night and I had to stay up with her but the next day she was back to her old self.
"The PDSA vets were brilliant and went to great trouble to save Polly. I can't thank them enough."
Sean Wensley, 28, PDSA Senior Vet, said: "Easter wouldn’t be Easter without chocolate, but it is a time when pets are at increased risk from potentially fatal chocolate poisoning.
"Many cats and dogs, like us, enjoy the taste of chocolate and will eat it if they can get hold of it.
"Luckily, Polly pulled through and survived. The amount of chocolate she ate could have killed her had her owner not recognised the danger and contacted PDSA so swiftly."
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