A CLYDEBANK pooch has narrowly avoided a pre-Christmas catastrophe after wolfing down a mince pie.

Three-year-old McNab was rushed to PDSA’s Shamrock Street Pet Hospital in Glasgow after owner Magdalene Lawson, 70, realised her Jack Russell-cross had devoured the seasonal snack.

The ingredients of traditional mince pies are potentially lethal to dogs and Magdalene wants to raise awareness, so others don’t have to go through the worry and panic she experienced.

Magdalene said: “I’d left my mince pie on the side to answer the door and out of the corner of my eye I saw McNab sneaking out of the room, along with my mince pie. I felt sick with worry because I knew just how poisonous a mince pie could be for him.

“I’m too frightened to have them or fruit cake in the house now – they aren’t worth the worry. I want to warn others to be really careful and keep any food that could be poisonous to pets well out of reach.”

McNab was immediately taken to the PDSA where he made a full recovery. He was given treatment to make him vomit the mince pie to help prevent absorption of the potentially-deadly toxins and monitored closely.

The charity is now warning dog owners to keep pets well away from toxic treats this Christmas.

PDSA vet Jennifer Penman from the Glasgow Hospital, said: “Thankfully, Magdalene was aware of the danger and was quick to react when she realised what McNab had eaten.

“Things could have been much worse as the toxins from raisins, sultanas and currants can cause kidney failure or even death in dogs if left untreated.”

“With the festive season here, many of us will have lots of treats, sweets and chocolates in the house. But while Christmas can be a time for indulgence, it’s important to remember that some foods are very harmful to our pets.

“Foods including mince pies, chocolate, onions, raisins, grapes, some nuts, sage-and-onion stuffing and Christmas cake can all be harmful and should be kept safely out of paws’ reach.”

Nicola Robinson, Head of Service at Veterinary Poisons Information Service, told the Post: "There is no dose-response relationship between how many raisins/grapes a dog eats and their weight so it is impossible to predict which dogs will be affected.

"It is also not known exactly what part of the fruit contains the toxin so we are needing lots more research in this area."

To help keep your pets safe over the festive period, PDSA has put together a Christmas survival guide, free to download at pdsa.org.uk/xmas-survival-guide.