Forum Animal Health, a leading UK manufacturer of animal health products, has launched a campaign to raise awareness among vets about the dangers of human foods for dogs, particularly over the festive period. It is also asking vets to help encourage dog owners to act quickly if their pets have eaten something they shouldn’t have.

At the recent London Vet Show, Forum Animal Health highlighted the fact that chocolate is not the only dangerous food for dogs. Other treats such as mince pies and Christmas cake (as they contain raisins or sultanas), as well as food containing onions and leeks, plus sweeteners and human medication, are all potentially lethal if not treated as soon as possible.

The company’s awareness-raising stand picked up the Best Stand Award in its category. It used engaging displays to highlight the problem to vets and veterinary nurses, such as a wall of dog bowls containing different ‘threats’, and featured a competition where delegates attempted to assess the cocoa content in ‘high street’ chocolate brands. This had a serious dimension as the theobromine in cocoa is where the danger lies for dogs with chocolate. 700 vets visiting the stand took away their Swallowing Dangers Christmas board kits to put up in their practices and inform pet owners.

Forum Animal Health is also stressing the importance of dog owners presenting their pets at the vets as soon as possible after eating something potentially harmful. Tim Gooders, UK Companion Animal Product Manager at Forum Animal Health, commented: “During the festive season clients often don’t recognise what is poisonous and don’t know what to do if there is a problem. Their instinctive response is to wait and see, however, animals need to be treated quickly before they have metabolised what they have eaten.”

He added that the company’s Apometic POM-V treatment, launched at last year’s London Vet Show, is most effective if the animal is presented early, pre poisoning. He said that one way to alert clients was to use client educational material in waiting rooms and also ensure that veterinary nurses and support staff are fully aware of the risks. In response to this the company has created a range of posters which can also be downloaded and printed out from its website, which include a four-step plan for clients who are concerned.

“According to animal charity PDSA, despite the fact that 85 per cent of consumers are now aware that chocolate is poisonous to dogs, almost half a million are still giving them chocolate treats intended for human consumption. Even ingestion of cooked fruits in fruit cake can cause kidney failure.[iii], and the risks need to be communicated to owners. The message is, only feed your dog with dog food,” concludes Tim.