Waterlooville dog owners lucky after having to take Beagle Dora to hospital after she ate mince pies

The Kennel Club has issued an urgent warning to dog owners this festive season about the dangers this time of year can bring for our four-legged friends. This comes after Becky and Mike Shillingford, from Waterlooville, Hampshire, discovered firsthand how dangerous festive foods getting into the wrong paws can be, when their eight-year-old Beagle, Dora, helped herself to mince pies. Dora lives in a household of six other Beagles, five chickens, and bees, as well as Becky and Mike, who are regularly visited by their children and grandchildren, so it can often be a busy atmosphere.

Becky said: “Although Beagles are highly food-oriented, as hounds they are very well-scented which tends to interfere with training. All my kitchen cupboards have child-locks on apart from the pantry, which has a lock and key.

"I know how seriously dogs can react to grape and raisin products so I took Dora to the emergency vet, who gave her an emetic to make her sick and she had to be kept on a drip overnight.”

Whilst being visited by family members, Dora took the opportunity to climb a 4ft high child’s play kitchen in a bid to access an area where a closed bread bin was on top of the shelf of cookery books. Inside the bread bin were four mince pies, all of which were eaten by Dora – and these treats did not go down well, leaving Dora very poorly. Dogs react badly to grapes and raisin products and if you know that your pet has consumed products containing these ingredients, they should be taken to the vets.

Dora was allowed to go home to her family the next day but The Kennel Club has issued a warning due to the increase in dogs that are taken to the vets for grape or raisin poising over the festive period. As well as the worry that comes with having to take your precious pooch to the vet, there are also financial implications and claiming on your pet insurance can be costly.

Robin Hargreaves, Senior Veterinary Advisor for Kennel Club Pet Insurance, said: “Traditional Christmas foods, such as mince pies and Christmas pudding, are full of things that are toxic to our pets, including raisins and grapes, and there are often no symptoms until the dog becomes very ill, very suddenly. Owners who think their pets have ingested any of these should contact their vet for advice immediately.

“Of course, prevention is key and it is always far better to be extremely vigilant and prevent access to these foods, as well as other Christmas hazards, throughout the festive season.”

Bill Lambert, head of health, welfare and breeder services executive at The Kennel Club, said: “Not only can it be a very overwhelming few weeks, with lots of unfamiliar sights and sounds, but it can also be full of tempting treats, some of which can, unfortunately, be very dangerous for our dogs.”

For more information about The Kennel Club and the warning that has been issued, click here.