CHRISTMAS is meant to be a festive and uplifting time of year for families, but significant numbers of types of food commonly consumed during summer holidays can be potentially fatal for dogs, and vets have warned owners to take care with scraps and tidbits.

Even small amounts of some foods can be problematic, and with grilled meat, nibbles and even alcohol often sitting on a table or counter or falling onto the ground, an opportunistic canine can quickly swoop and swallow things they shouldn’t, sometimes resulting in emergency (and expensive) trips to the vet out of hours.