5 Common Easter Hazards for Pets
Spring has arrived and Easter plans to gather with friends and family will soon be underway.
While enjoying your Easter celebrations it’s important to plan and be reminded of the dangers that surround our pets during this time.
Easter Lilies
Easter Lily
ALL parts of the lily plant are toxic to cats! That includes the leaves, the stem and surprisingly, even the pollen of the lily plant. Cats only need to digest a tiny amount of a lily to become ill. Do not wait if your cat has digested any of the lily plant, seek immediate veterinarian care.
Xylitol
Xylitol sweetener
Xylitol is highly toxic to pets!
Xylitol is a sweetener that is becoming very popular. Xylitol can be found added to foods such as peanut butter, candies, sugar-free gum, even some toothpaste. Be sure to read all labels carefully, even if it’s a product you have used before, as Xylitol is replacing other sweeteners.
Easter Baskets and Fake Grass
Fake/Plastic Grass in Easter Baskets
That colourful stringy fake grass used to fill Easter gift baskets is very attractive to cats and some dogs. Plastic grass, small toys, and those plastic eggs used to hold treats and toys can easily become stuck in a cat or dogs intestines causing blockages, and often results in abdominal surgery.
Chocolate
Chocolate
Although no amount of chocolate is good for our dog’s health, the darker the chocolate the more toxic it can be. So while preparing your Easter treats and desserts, be sure to keep the baking and dark chocolate safely contained and out of reach to all pets. And don’t forget Easter treats that contain or are covered in chocolate.
People Food
Dangers at the Dinner Table
As a pet parent we like to involve our dogs and cats in the holiday celebrations, however, many of those snacks, food items and ingredients being served to our guests can be harmful to our pets. Be sure to keep grapes, raisins, garlic and onions out of our pet’s food dish. Let’s not forget the traditional Easter hot cross buns, they contain raisins and currents that can be toxic to dogs and cats as well.
Should your pets digest any of the above, seek veterinarian advice immediately. After hours, contact your nearest Veterinarian Emergency After Hours Hospital.
Have a safe and happy Easter!
April 3, 2019
I agree that the human food served in some traditional Easter meals are bad for pets. Many dogs like salty foods like ham which can be really dangerous to pets with health issues.
April 3, 2019
I’ll be honest I didn’t think of the Easter Grass at all.
April 3, 2019
The Easter grass was not on my radar either, but definitely something that can cause great pain and require surgery to remove.
April 2, 2019
This is a really useful post. Thank you for the information.
April 2, 2019
Thanks so much for sharing these reminders! We always need to be extra careful around the holidays. I finally gave up gum because I was so worried that my dogs would find a piece.
April 3, 2019
I remember this story my mother-in-law used to tell me about a dog she had that went through her purse and took out a package of gum and ate it. Thankfully the dog was alright, maybe because at that time xylitol was not used as a sweetener? It goes to show you that a dog and some cats, will go to any length to get at some sweet smelling treats they should have.
April 2, 2019
Thanks for sharing this info. A lot of people don’t know about the dangers of xylitol in chewing gum. My dog has tried to eat it off the street before. Don’t spit out your gum people!
April 3, 2019
I admit that xylitol terrifies me! Recently I was going to purchase a new gum product, and thank goodness I read the ingredients because xylitol was one of them – so of course it went back up on the store shelf. I refuse to have any product that contains xylitol in my home.
April 2, 2019
This article is wonderful. Often us pet owners don’t think about the small things that can affect our dogs health, such as making sure you pick up your child’s Easter basket so they can’t find unexpected snacks.
April 3, 2019
It’s so easy to overlook the small things that can really make a difference for our pets safety and health
April 2, 2019
I forgot about the fake grass being hazardous! Great remainder about dangers to pets this holiday.
Love & biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
April 3, 2019
I know! The grass was not the first thing that comes to mind, it’s usually food and plants.