Vets are bracing themselves for an 880% rise in emergency admissions, from greedy dogs who’ve eaten mince pies meant for Santa.

The raisins in the sweet treats are poisonous to dogs and eating them can lead to sickness and diarrhoea – and potentially even fatal kidney failure.

Every year, Vets Now, a leading provider of emergency pet care, is inundated with mince pie-eating dogs on Christmas Eve and into Christmas morning. In 2019 alone, its vets treated almost 130 dogs who had eaten mince pies on Christmas Eve, up from an average of 14 cases during the rest of December.

They’re expecting an even bigger increase this year due to the fact so many people have acquired puppies during lockdown.

Dave Leicester, head of telehealth at Vets Now, said: “We see more cases of raisin toxicity on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day than we do in an average month and that’s why we want to raise awareness of the threat they can pose to dogs.

“It’s unclear exactly what causes the toxic effects, but we do know that there is no safe quantity of grapes, raisins, currants or sultanas which may be eaten. Even tiny amounts can be toxic in individual animals and the effects cannot be predicted, so real caution must be taken with foods that contain them, including mince pies and Christmas pudding.”