Thursday, April 1, 2010

Happy Hoppy Easter Pet Safety Tips

Easter brings up childhood memories of egg hunts, festive baskets and bunnies. But pet dangers can lurk just around the corner. As you get ready to celebrate Easter with family, friends and furry loved ones it important to take some safety precautions. Here are some important Easter pet safety tips to make your Easter celebration a safe and healthy one for every.


1. Easter grass: We all love a beautifully adorned Easter basket decorated with stringy Easter grass but this can be irresistibly edible to cats & dogs. If ingested can be life threatening and can wrap around your pets intestine and cut off circulation. It can also cause vomiting, choking, constipation, painful defecation and abdominal pain. Contact your vet if you suspect your dog or cat has sampled the Easter grass. Instead opt for a safer alternative, tissue paper or real grass.

2. No Chocolate Bunnies for Fido: We all know dogs have a sweet tooth and a determined keen sense of smell to find your Easter chocolate stash. However, chocolate contains a highly toxic ingredient known as theobromine, making even small amounts of chocolate extremely hazardous to your pets health. Theobromine, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, seizures and an abnormally elevated heart rate. Although your dog should avoid all types of chocolate, dark chocolate contains the highest concentrations of theobromine making it the most toxic. Early symptoms of chocolate toxicity are vomiting, diarrhea and trembling. If your dog exhibits these symptoms please seek vet help immediately.

3. Avoid Sugar Substitutes: Xylitol, an artificial sweetener used in many candies, chewing gums and baked goods, is potentially very toxic to dogs and cats. If ingested can cause a rapid drop in blood sugar and can lead to seizures & liver failure.

4. Keep Easter Lilies out of paws reach: The beautiful Easter Lily is a plant commonly found in bouquets this time of year but highly toxic to cats if ingested. If eaten this flower can cause vomiting and lethargy, and if untreated, may progress to kidney (renal) failure and death. Please call your veterinarian immediately if you suspect that your cat has eaten any part of a lily plant. Other potentially poisonous flowers to avoid include tulips, calla lilies, daisies, chrysanthemums and baby’s breath.


5. Real or fake plastic eggs can be dangerous. This is the case of mistaken identity. Fido or Felix may confuse a shiny plastic eggs for their next chew toy or tasty treat. If chew and swallow the plastic can cause intestinal damage which may require surgery. While hard-boiled have a tendency to be misplaced or not found during those Easter egg hunts and can easily spoil. If the egg is discovered days later and eaten by your hungry dog can cause quite an upset stomach. Make sure you keep track of the number of eggs hidden and their whereabouts so you can easily inventory at the end of the hunt.

6. Cute Easter toys are not meant to be eaten: Festive bunnies and chick toys make cute Easter basket stuffers for the kiddies, but may be viewed as a mid afternoon snack for your pet. Small toys are a choking hazard and should be kept away from cats and dogs. Keep baskets off the ground or better yet keep your pet in an Easter free zone out of potential harms way.



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1 comment:

jamie said...

thanks for the tips. a timely reminder indeed. happy easter!