Britons have been urged to keep mince pies far from the reach of their pet dogs this year, with vets warning just one bite of the festive treat could be deadly.
With homes across the country stocked up with Christmas snacks, dog owners have been told to make sure that there is no chance of their four-legged friends having a nibble for themselves.
Emergency vet company VetsNow warned Britons to "keep the mince pies well out of your dog’s reach this Christmas".
It highlighted that raisins are poisonous for dogs and can lead to acute kidney failure and death.
Dog owners have been warned that having just a bite of a mince pie could be dangerousPAWithin 12 hours of eating a mince pie they may show signs of vomiting and diarrhoea. Organ damage can then develop in the following 24 hours.
VetsNow said: "Fresh grapes and any dried form such as raisins, sultanas and currants can lead to acute renal failure and death if eaten by dogs.
"The cause of poisoning is still not 100 per cent certain, but we think it’s most likely to be a substance called tartaric acid.
"While all forms of grapes are poisonous to dogs, extra caution should be taken with foods containing raisins, currants (dried fruit of dark grapes) and sultanas (dried fruit of white grapes) as these have been associated with more severe cases.
Raisins inside mince pies can cause acute kidney failure
ALDI"The tartaric acid content of grapes varies due to lots of factors so there is no way to predict whether it will be at toxic levels.
"Therefore, there is no definitive answer to the question of how many grapes or raisins are toxic to dogs.
"Even the smallest quantity of raisins could potentially make your dog seriously ill, meaning just a bite of a mince pie could be dangerous."
Earlier this month, VetsNow said that it had to take action after one crossbreed dog called Murdo ate eight mince pies in one go - including the foil wrappers - after seeing the treats sat on a kitchen table.
He was given emergency medicine to make him sick in order to relieve the problems the mince pies could have caused.
Dog owners are urged to immediately contact a vet if their own pet takes a sneaky bite on a mince pie this Christmas.