Mum’s warning after dogs scoffed plate of mince pies leaving her with £550 bill

Raisins are extremely toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure – so mince pies are bad news for your animals at Christmas (Picture: Goldbug Agency)

A mum faced ‘every pet owner’s worst nightmare’ when she walked into her living room to discover her dogs had gobbled down a plate of mince pies.

Amanda Whyte, 48, said her two children had come home from school just before the start of the Christmas holidays having made a platter of the treats.

Despite leaving them on a high table she was filled with dread when she discovered her black Labrador Lola, 11, and Jack Russell/Beagle mix Spotty, 7, sniffing around the last crumbs of the mince pies.

The magazine editor, from High Wycombe, said: ‘I walked into the living room and found them sniffing around the crumbs.

‘I know that raisins are extremely toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure, so I headed straight to the emergency vet.’

This racked up £547 in bills, where the vet induced vomiting to minimise the harm caused to the dogs.

It then turned out only Lola had actually eaten the mince pies.

Amanda Whyte pictured with her Jack Russell/Beagle mix Spotty, 7 (Picture: Goldbug Agency)

But it was black Labrador Lola, 11, who ate the platter of mince pies (Picture: Goldbug Agency)

As Amanda only had basic insurance, it did not cover emergency appointments so she had to pay £150 plus a £50 excess charge – but she was relieved she at least had that.

She said: ‘Thank goodness I had insurance. Christmas is expensive enough as it is – so getting a vet bill for over £500 would not have been a welcome gift.

‘The dogs’ insurance now also covers emergency appointment fees. When you’re comparing policies, make sure you check what’s covered so there aren’t any surprises.’

New research from MoneySuperMarket reveals a third (33%) of dog owners have had to make emergency trips to the vet at Christmas, with one in 10 (10%) visits due to mince pie consumption.

Amanda has now warned pet owners to ensure they have adequate insurance.

She added: ‘What makes our story so calamitous is that we had to treat both dogs, even though it later turned out that only the Lab had eaten the mince pies. So that cost us double whammy at a very expensive time of year.

Amanda only had basic insurance so it did not cover emergency appointments (Picture: Goldbug Agency)

She has now warned pet owners to make sure they have adequate insurance (Picture: Goldbug Agency)

How much estimated treatment could cost if things go wrong for dogs over the festive period (Picture: Goldbug Agency)

‘I’m very responsible but these things happen – especially with a greedy Lab who will eat anything she can get her paws on – and that’s why you have pet insurance. We’re all just glad they’re okay.’

The analysis estimates uninsured dog owners are set to spend over £91 million this Christmas on emergency vet trips.

Chocolate – which is incredibly toxic to dogs – is the most common reason owners have had to rush to the vet (30%), causing an estimated £250 to treat.

Despite the risks, 21% of dog owners do not have pet insurance, which is around 2.5 million dogs across the country.

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The firm’s pet insurance expert Saarrah Mussa said: ‘Our research shows that some dog owners are opting out of insurance because of the cost.

‘But as we have seen from our survey, accidents happen, especially at Christmas when a mince pie, or box of chocolates could prove too tempting for your pet. Vet bills can quickly add up so if the worst happens, it’s better to be covered.  

‘Nearly all insurance policies have a two-week cooling off period and in that time insurers will not honour any claims.

‘That means if you’re thinking about getting cover for Christmas, you’re better off sorting it now before the house fills up with festive treats.’

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Raisins are extremely toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure.