Spare a thought for vets though who are working each day seeing the accidents and emergencies of Easter.

The number one emergency is… Easter egg poisoning! Easter eggs are great for young and old (in moderation) but not so great for our furry friends.

Each year we will see dogs who have found their way into the Easter egg pile and eaten too many chocolates.

Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which is safe for humans but cannot be metabolised by dogs.

This chemical acts on the dog’s body and results in symptoms ranging from restlessness to vomiting and diarrhoea and then to tremors and seizures.

If your dog shows any signs of chocolate poisoning then you need to contact the vet as soon as possible.

When the chocolate was eaten and the severity of the symptoms will decide how the vet will treat your dog.

If Fido has just eaten the chocolate eggs and isn’t showing any symptoms, the vet may just decide to make him vomit the chocolate up.

Again, spare a thought for the vets and nurses who have to clean up chocolate vomit!

If your dog is showing more advanced signs of poisoning the vet team may need to anaesthetise him to pump his stomach and control the seizures.

An overnight stay in hospital is a certainty.

Different types of chocolate have different danger levels of theobromine.

White chocolate is relatively safe and milk chocolate is not too bad, but dark or cooking chocolate has the highest levels and the greatest risk of serious symptoms.

As well, a small dog is going to be affected more than a large dog who eats the same amount of chocolate.

Just a couple of weeks ago our after-hours vet dealt with a very young litter of pups that found their way into a Caramello Koala. 

They developed seizures but fortunately were able to be saved.

So this Easter keep the chocolates away from Fido - any unwanted goodies will always be gratefully received by your local vet team to keep them powering through the day.