At Christmas, it's not unusual for us to treat ourselves. While we can put the diet on hold and work it off in the gym come January, unfortunately our furry friends can't quite keep up with our excess.

Vets are urging pet owners to not accidently cause death by chocolate by pampering their pets this Christmas.

Experts are warning that chocolate is poisonous to animals and treats off the dinner table can cause serious illness. Mince pies, stuffing and sugary Christmas sweets can be really dangerous to give to your dog.

Bruce Waddell, a vet at the Willows Veterinary Hospital, in Hartford, said: “Christmas is a time for sharing and many owners will give treats to their pets or give them leftover Christmas dinner but this can have fatal consequences.”

Chocolate is toxic to almost all animals because it contains a substance called theobromine and the higher the cocoa content, the more toxic the chocolate. A lethal dose for a medium sized dog is about 10 squares of dark chocolate and owners are advised to ring a vet immediately if their pet ingests chocolate.

Bruce said: “Even if the pet owners are aware of the problems it can be Christmas visitors who are not pet owners unable to resist the imploring eyes of a begging dog that can unknowingly cause problems.”

Onions and garlic are also toxic to animals as they contain compounds which destroy red blood cells.

Giving a pet a share of Christmas dinner can cause problems as pets are not used to eating rich, high fat foods and as a result can suffer from indigestion and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.

Avoid over indulgence by feeding your dog tasty omega 3 rich healthy food and low-calorie treats. Our Sea Jerky Treats are award winning, low calorie but tasty treats. Our Calamari, Squid and Mousse are luxuriant gourmet and decadent treats to shower dogs in love.

What better way to spoil your pooch this Christmas than with our fabulous, festive, Fish4Dogs Christmas cracker filled with one 75g bag of crunchy Christmas biscuits.