Mince pies may poison dogs, says pet charity

Almost a third of a million pet dogs could be poisoned by being fed human foods like Christmas chocolates and mince pies, a leading British charity has warned.

Dogs are made ill by theobromine, a common ingredient in chocolate, animal charity PDSA said.

It has released its PAWS Report, claiming 4% of dogs — an estimated 324,000 animals — are often fed the sweet treat by their owners, despite the adverse effects of chocolate on dogs, which include vomiting and drooling, and in extreme cases leads to an irregular heartbeat, kidney problems and even death.