A hungry hound had a lucky escape after scoffing a whole plate of coronation chicken sandwiches - during a photo shoot to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
Cavachon pooch Mango, aged two, was rushed to the vet after she wolfed down the sandwiches containing raisins, which can be fatal to dogs.
Concerned owner Alice Kay, from Devon, said that vets had to issue the animal an injection that made her vomit to get the raisins out of her system, Devon Live reports.
Styling assistant Alice had taken Mango on a Jubilee photo shoot when disaster struck.
The pair had been outside getting ready for the images when Alice noticed that Mango had vanished.
She darted inside and found the cheeky pup licking her lips and a platter of finger sandwiches gone. Alice quickly calculated Mango had eaten around 20 raisins, which she knew could be fatal, and called Vets Now who told her to rush the dog in.
Alice said: “Mango was with me as she was going to be in one of the shots, her first ‘modelling job’. We were all out in the garden at the location house, Mango included, but I lost sight for what seemed like just a few seconds and remembered all the food had been laid out inside.
“I ran in and found her sitting licking her lips and one of the plates of finger sandwiches had all gone. She had yellow all round her mouth and I knew she had eaten the lot.
“When I checked a finger sandwich on another plate, I counted seven raisins and realised she could easily have eaten over 20 between all the sandwiches. I panicked as I was aware that raisins are really toxic for dogs. And as she is so small and had eaten a lot, I knew I needed help fast.”
Coronation chicken was invented to mark the Queen’s coronation in 1953 and is among the dishes sure to feature as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. But vets are warning of the potentially deadly dangers it can pose, as well as other summer treats like corn on the cobs and barbecue skewers.
Mandisa Greene, medical director at Vets Now, said: “Eating raisins can be really serious for dogs. They can cause acute renal failure and even death. Even a very small amount can be dangerous and in Mango’s case she had eaten quite a number. The team gave her an injection right away to make her sick and she brought up the sandwiches, including the raisins.”
Mango needed to be put on a fluid drip, kept in overnight under close observation and then given a treatment course of activated charcoal to help counteract any ill effects. Alice said she was relieved to have her pet home after the near miss in March.
She is now backing Vets Now’s calls for owners to be especially careful over the Jubilee celebrations when there is a lot more food around. Alice added: “It was such a scary thing. The staff at the clinic were so calm and reassuring and the treatment was brilliant.
“I dread to think what could have happened if the team hadn’t been able to help me so quickly.
“No pet owner wants to be facing an emergency when they should be having fun celebrating the Platinum Jubilee, so I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on Mango to avoid any more emergency visits.”
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