PET CARE
Easter Safety Tips
Easter is fast approaching and along with that comes fun, candy, toys, food and other items and goodies that could potentially make your dogs and cats ill.
Treats that are delicious for us can be deadly for our pets. It’s up to pet parents to keep treats that could harm our furry friends out of their reach – especially on holidays like Easter.
Whether it is just a normal weekday or special holiday like Easter, some dangerous items may be found in your home on a regular basis.
Check out some safety tips to help protect your dogs and cats:
Say no to “chocolate.” Chocolate can cause seizures, hyperactivity and an elevated heart rate in your dogs and cats. Keep all chocolate out of reach of your pets. This is a health tip that is crucial to remember any time of the year.
Keep Easter grass out of reach. Easter grass can make an Easter basket beautiful, but dogs and cats love to chew on it. Easter grass is dangerous if your pets ingest it. Use tissue paper or shredded, recycled paper instead.
Xylitol is toxic. Many sugar-free treats are made with a sugar substitute called xylitol. It is also found in candy, gum, some types of toothpaste, and baked goods.
If your dog or cat ingests xylitol, he or she will have a sudden drop in blood sugar. Xylitol can also lead to seizures and liver failure. If you’re buying candy and treats for your children, don’t hide the baskets in a place your dog or cat could get into them.
Easter lilies are toxic. Easter lilies are beautiful, but they are extremely toxic to your cats. Cats are drawn to the flowers, but if they ingest them it can lead to lethargy and vomiting. Find a space where the cats can’t get to the flowers, if that’s not possible, it’s best to avoid having lilies in the house.
Easter eggs. Remember where you’ve hidden the hardboiled or plastic candy-filled eggs and how many you’ve hidden. Don’t let your dog uncover an egg that wasn’t found during the egg hunt. If your dog finds an egg later and eats it, it could make him ill. If your dogs find a plastic egg and chew on that it could injure his mouth and if there is chocolate inside the egg, he can get ill from that.
No table scraps. This is a good rule any time of the year. Table scraps aren’t a good idea for your cats and dogs. From the spices and fat content and potentially deadly ingredients, table scraps can upset your pet’s stomach or cause other health problems.
Make sure your children and guests know not to feed the pets from the dinner table. Another health risk of feeding your pet table scraps is that it could lead to obesity.
Stuffed toys. Toys suitable for children probably aren’t suitable for pets. Plastic toys, the stuffing from a stuffed toy, any eyes or other plastic or metal parts on the toys could injure your dog’s or cat’s intestines or throat if he or she swallows them. Keep toys that are not dog- or cat-specific out of their reach.
Strangers can be an issue. If you are going to have a houseful of guests for Easter or any time of year, keep your pets safe from harm. When people are coming and going from your house, your pets could easily bolt out the door and get lost.
Keep them safe, by keeping them away from open doors. If your dogs and cats aren’t accustomed to a houseful of people or children who may come to your home, it may be best to keep your pets in a room by themselves so they can “enjoy” the party in comfort and silence. Keeping your pets away from strangers may also prevent any of your guests from getting injured by a spooked or nervous pet.
Certain fruits, vegetables, and nuts. There are many foods like raisins or grapes that can lead to kidney failure in our pets and might be fatal. This is another reason to enforce the “don’t feed the dogs or cats any human food” rule. Onions, garlic and macadamia nuts are also toxic to your pets.
If you ever want to introduce your dog to fruits and vegetables because they are healthy, delicious snacks, here are a few that safe: