Minster Vets in York treats Labrador after she eats a kilo of almonds

The 18 month old dog, Petra, from Sand Hutton, was taken to The Minster Veterinary Practice after her owner, Sara Esler, found that she had ripped into a cardboard box that had been delivered, torn open the bag inside and eaten the nuts.

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Sara said: “I found Petra in her bed licking her lips and looking guilty. There was an empty plastic bag next to her - she had ripped the box open to get it, something she’s never done before.

Petra, 18 months, ate 1kg of almonds (Image: Minster Vets)

"I couldn’t believe that the whole thing was empty. It was 1kg of almonds - I buy in bulk because it’s cheaper.

"It was in the evening, so I rang the emergency vet for advice and took her in where they made her sick. They were amazed. The last time they had weighed her she had weighed exactly one kilogram less."

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Vet Josie Arthur treated Petra at the Minster Vets' Salisbury Road branch, which provides emergency out-of-hours care and gave her an injection to make her vomit.

 Vet Josie treated Petra at Minster Vets (Image: Minster Vets)

Josie said: "Eating one kilogram of anything isn’t good for a dog regardless of whether it is toxic or not, and it’s worth making them sick because it is such a huge amount to digest. That would have caused such a lot of discomfort and tummy upset.

"When Petra was sick, a lot of the almonds were still whole, so she had literally wolfed them down.

"The main concern with almonds is the high fat content and, secondary to that, the risk of a tummy upset. Pancreatitis can happen when dogs eat fatty food."

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The tray used to catch the contents of her stomach weighed 1.4kg afterwards.

Within an hour of being sick, the black Lab had recovered and was able to return to home.

Sara, who has another 18 month old Labrador named Ghost, thanked Josie and the team.

"Petra was fine afterwards, a bit sheepish, and just settled down and slept. She’d probably thought all her dreams had come at once when she got into the box," she said.

Josie praised Sara’s quick actions and urged others to always contact their vet if a pet consumes substantial amounts of food or anything that is potentially toxic, such as chocolate, grapes or raisins.