It's a dog's life - lucky thing

An Easter-egg hunt proved to be anything but fun for a sweet-toothed Labrador called Buster.

Greedy dog scoffs 12 easter eggs

Buster was treated for chocolate poisoning after gorging on creme eggs

The five-stone pooch ended up with chocolate poisoning after wolfing down a stash of chocolate eggs which he found hidden away in his owner's spare room.

Five-year-old Buster had to be taken to animal hospital where he was admitted to intensive care after devouring 12 eggs and their foil wrapping.

Buster's owner, Brenda Dawes, bought the eggs as Easter treats for her grandchildren.

She said: "When I arrived home one afternoon, Buster came down the stairs, wagging his tail and licking his lips. I knew immediately he'd been up to something.

"He's a terror and chews everything he gets his paws on - mobile phones, video tapes, the remote control."

At first, Buster did not appear to be affected by his binge. However, Ms Dawes was woken in the early hours of the morning by the pet's cries.

Buster is now fully recovered after his binge

"He couldn't stand up, his back legs just kept buckling underneath him.

"His stomach was swollen and he was obviously in a lot of pain. Panicking, I called PDSA and they told me to bring him straight in."

Ms Dawes immediately took the dog to animal charity PDSA's PetAid hospital, near her home in Derby, where he was treated with fluids and kept in for round-the-clock observation.

Buster made a full recovery, but his ordeal has prompted animal welfare officials to issue a pre-Easter warning to anyone who keeps hungry hounds and chocolate under the same roof.

Senior veterinary surgeon Vicky Sims said: "Buster was quite lucky. Creme eggs have a fairly low theobromine content because they're half fondant.

"Higher quality 'posh' chocolates are the most dangerous as they have high concentrated doses of theobromine - which poisons pets.