I know this is an unpleasant topic, but I seem to spend a large part of my veterinary time around Christmas inducing dogs to vomit, which is as unpleasant as you would imagine it to be.

There are only two times I can remember not feeling moderately queasy myself, as I watched mounds of semi-digested dog food being regurgitated. Once when a dog had eaten an entire pack of Guylian chocolates. The chocolates came up whole, as the offending labrador hadn’t even bothered to chew them. They were so pristine that one of the nurses wondered aloud if we should rinse them off and return them to the owner, but I decided that was unlikely to be appreciated.

The other time was a dog that had eaten several packs of chewing gum (containing xylitol – a sweetener but toxic to dogs). The whole room was filled with a sort of minty, fresh smell that was actually quite pleasant. Those occasions aside, it’s generally pretty grim and as soon as December approaches we get calls from owners whose dogs have eaten mince pies, fruit cake, chocolates and other inedible items – discarded face masks seem to be a current popular item.

Avoid grapes and chocolate

Grapes and their dried varieties – sultanas, currants and raisins – can all be potentially toxic to dogs. Not all dogs suffer from a susceptibility to grape toxicity, but even small quantities can cause kidney damage. Likewise, chocolate can cause variable signs, but generally speaking the darker the chocolate the more dangerous.

Toxicities aside, there are countless temptations around Christmas; unattended food left on the side is too enticing for your average pooch. A friend recently brought in his dog that had eaten most of an uncooked BBQ meat selection. He would probably have been OK except for the fact that he had swallowed whole half a dozen wooden skewers along with the meat.

Christmas should be a time for enjoyment and treats, so take care with your festive preparations. Keep all the fruit cakes and mince pies safely out of reach. Don’t leave food on work surfaces or tables that dogs can reach. Avoid giving fatty leftovers to dogs on boxing day, as that’s just as likely to cause digestion issues and, unless you like your chocolates regurgitated, keep them for yourselves.