Dog owners are being warned of the poisonous effects of chocolate in dogs this Easter.

Toy poodle, Buddy, from Hertfordshire became critically ill last Easter after eating a chocolate egg.

The now three-year-old pup got his paws on a chocolate egg behind his owners backs.

Buddy’s owners noticed him being sick and were concerned by its dark brown colour.

After trying to identify what Buddy might have eaten, they soon discovered a half-eaten chocolate egg, with more sweets inside also gone.

The family quickly rushed Buddy to the vet while he shook and gagged in the car. Buddy was immediately put onto a drip, kept overnight and monitored the next day.

Fortunately, Buddy did fully recover, however, the incident came at a costly sum of nearly £1,000, as well as causing both Buddy and his family plenty of anguish.

New data released ahead of Easter by The Kennel Club, the UK’s largest organisation dedicated to dog welfare, shows cases of chocolate poisoning in dogs accelerate in April.

Bill Lambert, dog health expert at The Kennel Club, said: "We want to remind all owners to keep an extra careful eye on their four-legged friends.

"Our furry companions can sniff out even the best hidden chocolate eggs and non-canine friendly confectionaries, as these worrying new statistics show."

Other traditional treats, like hot cross buns and Simnel cake, which commonly contain grapes, raisins, currants and sultanas, are also all highly toxic to dogs.