With families celebrating Easter this weekend, here are some very important things you need to make sure you watch for to keep your pets safe!
Avoiding the Easter basket, the Easter flowers, the plastic Easter eggs and the abandoned hard boiled eggs now rotting in various spots around the yard is a difficult task for a pet. Pets are curious. Their noses are much more sensitive than a human’s; they almost can’t resist the delicious smells. They don’t know those dangers even exist. They depend on you to keep their environment safe. So while Easter may be a wonderful holiday for people, it is a minefield for Fido or Kitty-Cat. It’s up to each pet parent to make sure their pets make it through unscathed.
Eggs – Dyed and Plastic
Shiny plastic eggs may look like toys to your pets. If they chew and swallow the plastic, it can cause intestinal problems that may require surgery. Fresh, hardboiled eggs are not dangerous, but eggs spoil quickly. If days later your pet finds and eats an egg that was undiscovered during the Easter hunt, it can make them very sick. Tip: Keep track of the number of eggs hidden and make sure all are accounted for at the end of the hunt.
Easter Lilies
These flowers and beautiful and festive, but should be avoided at all costs if you share your home with pets. Easter lilies are one of the most poisonous plants for pets, especially to cats. Vomiting, lethargy and loss of appetite are symptoms of lily poisoning. Cats who take a bite of the flower can die from kidney failure in less than two days if left untreated.
Chocolate
Most adults already know how dangerous chocolate is for pets, but it is important children know as well. Make sure to tell your kids that sharing with the family pet could make them very sick. Still, supervision is key. Tip: With chocolate bunnies in every basket, and chocolate eggs hidden around the house, it may be best if your pets are in kept in an Easter free zone during the festivities.
Chocolate is one of the most deadly foods for pets (both cats and dogs; dark chocolate is worst, white chocolate has the lowest risk). It’s not only high in fat, it contains two nervous system stimulants, caffeine and theobromine. The fat can make your pet vomit or cause diarrhea unpleasant, but usually not fatal. It’s the stimulants that can cause death. Theobromine is both a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. A dog that ingests an overdose of chocolate may be fine at first, but will probably become excited and hyperactive within a few hours. It may pass large quantities of urine and become unusually thirsty. The theobromine will cause your pet’s heart rate to accelerate or beat irregularly, either of which can cause death (especially with exercise. )
Children are notorious for sorting and trading candy, so make sure they don’t leave candy laying around (or candy wrappers, either, which can cause choking). And don’t forget how flexible and persistent a pet can be when it smells something yummy in a trash bin or garage sack, either.
If you have reason to think that your pet has gotten into the candy, call your vet and describe their symptoms. (Symptoms of chocolate toxicity are nervousness, vomiting, shaking and overreacting to noises, touch, lights, et cetera.) If your vet is closed, call an emergency vet center immediately!
It is up to you to make sure that Easter candy and other dangerous foods are kept securely out of the reach of your household pets so your whole family can enjoy the holiday!
