A PECKISH pooch with a penchant for posh chocolates had a ruff Easter...after she wolfed down 2lb of dark chocolate and nearly died of poisoning.

Sweet-toothed King Charles Cavalier, Daisy, wasted no time tucking into the luxurious chocolates after she spied the box lying on a chair at her owner's home in Rochford.

Mum Debbie Barnes, 41, explained: "I had been brought this lovely box of dark chocolates by a friend but, sadly, I don't like dark chocolate. "However, my young daughter decided to try one, and it was then that Daisy saw her opportunity and decided to eat the whole box while my daughter wasn't looking.

"I wasn't even aware she'd eaten the chocolates until a few hours later when the effects took hold."

Research shows chocolate products with a high cocoa content pose the biggest risk to the nation's pets.

The average (30g to 45g) bar of upmarket dark chocolate can contain more than 700mg of theobromine - meaning just a small bar of dark chocolate could fatally poison a dog of Daisy's size.

When Daisy collapsed, Debbie, of Southend Road, thought that her beloved pooch, who suffers from epilepsy and a heart problem, was having a fit.

But she then noticed the remnants of the chocolate box on the floor and quickly realised what had happened.

Debbie rushed Daisy to the Basildon PDSA PetAid hospital in High Road, Vange.

Vet surgeon Faye Preston said: "Daisy was treated with fluids and placed in intensive care for around the clock observation.

"It was touch and go for a while, but amazingly she pulled through.

"The sheer amount of chocolate she had eaten should have killed her."

Debbie added: "She's recovered now."