PET OWNERS HAVE been warned to ignore the puppy dog eyes on Christmas Day and to avoid feeding Christmas dinner to their animals.

A British survey found that almost one quarter of pet owners are planning to dish up a plate of Christmas dinner for their pets.

However the RSPCA has said more than dozen dogs were admitted to its hospitals last year after they became ill after eating turkey and stuffing. Many of the dogs developed vomiting and diarrhoea and two had to go on drips.

“All of these cases were completely avoidable,” said Angela Grigg, the manager of Putney Animal Hospital in London. “If you want to give your dog a nice treat at Christmas take them for a lovely walk or if you want to give them something to eat, buy them a special treat specially designed for dogs”.

The animal welfare charity cited poultry bones, chocolate, stuffing and fruit as some of the festive foods which could prove dangerous to pets.

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