Spring has arrived and that means Easter is around the corner! Easter is a fun time of celebration for the family including religious activities, family meals and candy! Along with this holiday come many dangers for our furry friends. Easter holidays have several things associated with it that can be poisonous to our family pets – including candy and plants.
My family experienced this first hand when I was a child. Our dog Jessie, a 20 lb American Eskimo mix was very intrigued by my Easter basket. While we were at church, Jessie managed to find her way to the top of our dining room buffet and eat my entire Easter basket. We came home to a humongous mess of candy wrappers and fake green grass strewn across the house. Fortunately I didn’t like chocolate as a child – so there was no chocolate eaten by our pup and Jessie turned out to be completely fine! However – a much worse scenario could have occurred.
Easter Pet Poisons:
1. Chocolate! Chocolate is very toxic to pets. While a very small bite of white chocolate may not harm your pet, the darker the chocolate, the worse it is for our pets. Chocolate can cause diarrhea, vomiting, seizures and even death in pets that consume it. Always contact your Vet immediately if your dog has eaten chocolate.
2. Plants! The Easter Lily – a beautiful flower often given as a gift for the holiday is highly deadly to cats. Many cats enjoy nibbling at plants or flowers around the house. Every single part of the Easter Lily is toxic to a cat. Cats do not need to consume much of the plant to get sick. Vomiting, lethargy, dehydration and death can occur from eating it. Other types of lilies are also toxic to cats, so its best to steer clear of them altogether.
3. Easter Basket Grass! Both cats and dogs might be attracted to eating the shiny, green faux grass filling our Easter baskets. These small threads can easily get lodged in their digestive system or cause them to choke.
To keep your pets safe this Easter, keep Easter baskets out of pet’s reach or in a closet or cabinet that they cannot access. Cat owners should also stay away from any lilies. There are many beautiful spring plants you can purchase that will not harm your pet! If your pet consumes any of these items, contact your Vet immediately!
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