Easter Hazards
While you and your family prepare for Easter weekend, it is important to keep your furry family members in mind. Beautiful decorations, flower arrangements, the wonderful smells from the kitchen, and the goodies in Easter baskets can pose threats to our pets. Here are a few things to keep in mind while preparing for the holiday.
Candy
We’ve said it once, but we will say it again. Keep chocolate and other candies away from your pets! If ingested, chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, seizures, and other symptoms. The darker the chocolate, the worse it is for your pet. Any candy that contains an artificial sweetener (Xylitol) is also harmful to pets. Some symptoms of Xylitol poisoning are vomiting, weakness, lethargy, and seizures.
Food
Whenever we feed our pets something that is not part of their normal diet, it can cause gastrointestinal upset. So what does that mean? It means that it may cause your pet to start vomiting or have diarrhea. There are foods that are worse for your pet than others. Some foods to keep out of reach are raisins, macadamia nuts, anything sweet, fatty meats, and meats with bones in them. Also, be sure to keep dough away from pets. If a pet ingests even a small amount of dough, it can rise in their stomach and cause issues. If your pet is on a prescription diet, it is important that you do not give them any other type of food. The doctor prescribed their special diet to aid in your pets overall health. Please, do not give them any table scraps.
Easter Grass
Plastic Easter grass is always a fun thing to put in Easter baskets and to decorate with. If your pet ingests Easter grass, it is important that you contact your veterinarian. Our pets cannot digest this, and it can cause a blockage. Signs to look out for are vomiting, diarrhea, decrease in appetite, lethargy, and stomach pain. If your pet cannot pass the Easter grass by themselves, it may require abdominal surgery.
Plants
There are plants and flowers that are extremely dangerous to our furry friends – some more than others. Lilies are especially toxic to cats. If any part of a Lily is ingested by a cat, it can result in kidney failure, vomiting, diarrhea, or even death. Some other symptoms include dehydration, lethargy, loss of appetite, and possibly seizures. The most dangerous types of Lilies are Easter Lilies, Tiger Lilies, Day Lilies, and Asiatic Lilies. Lily poisoning is not as common in dogs as in cats. However, if a large amount is ingested it may cause vomiting and diarrhea. So, if you decide to have a lily display this Easter, please make sure you put it in a spot that your cat & dog cannot get to.
We know it can be difficult to keep curious kitties and rowdy pups away from the things we discussed above. We just ask that you do your best to keep these hazards away from them so your entire family can enjoy the Easter holiday together. If your pet ingests anything that they aren’t supposed to, or starts exhibiting any strange symptoms, please call your veterinarian ASAP to see if medical attention is necessary.
If your pet eats anything not listed in this article, check out the website below:
