What is the worry with Easter?
There's a lot to love about Easter.
From egg hunts to warm spring sunshine, it's a season of great joy. But it can also be a time that’s incredibly poisonous to pets, so it's important for owners take plenty of extra care.
A number of popular Easter goodies are toxic to dogs and cats, who love to sniff around at new foods and objects in the home. Whether it's blossoming flowers in the garden or hidden chocolate eggs around the house, be prepared for them to eat potentially dangerous foods.
Easter Eggs - Know the risks
Chocolate contains an ingredient called theobromine, which is poisonous to dogs and cats. The purer the chocolate, the more theobromine it tends to have. Make sure to keep all chocolate, including cocoa powder and hot chocolate, out of reach of your pet this Easter.
Should your dog consume any chocolate, or your suspect they have, contact your vet.
Signs & Symptoms of chocolate, or caffeine, toxicity include:
Sickness
Diarrhoea
Restlessness
Frequent urination
If enough chocolate has been eaten, these can progress to:
Irregular heart rhythm
Seizures
Internal bleeding
Death
Hot Cross Buns, Simnel cake, Raisins & Sultanas
Hot cross buns are synonymous with Easter, however they can also be dangerous to our furry friends.
Many dogs who've either been fed or secretly scoffed hot cross buns which can be potentially harmful because of the raisins, sultanas and currants which are all toxic to pets.
Ingesting them is actually incredibly serious as some pets develop kidney failure after eating them which is often life threatening.
Often found in hot cross buns, ingredients such as raisins, sultanas, currants and grapes are all toxic to our four-legged friends.
If your dog eats even a small quantity of these dried fruits (and grapes), they can suffer severe kidney failure.
Much like hot cross buns, Simnel cake should also be kept away from dogs. Packed with dried fruit and spices and topped with sweet marzipan, this traditional Easter cake can leave pets feeling very unwell. While not toxic, the ingredients can be hard to digest and may cause an upset stomach.
Easter Grasses (Decorations)
Colourful grasses are often used to line Easter baskets for Easter egg hunts or decoration.
These usually contain plastic materials, which can be harmful to pets if swallowed. Try using alternatives like tissue paper instead to line your basket and keep all decorations out of reach from pets.
Sweets
Don't feed your pet any human sweets or sweet treats, especially those that say they are sugar free as they may contain xylitol, which is a synthetic sweetener which is toxic to cats and dogs.
Roast Dinners
If we took a typical roast dinner for example, the things to avoid are stuffing as it contains onion and rich gravies which may contain high amounts of salt and fat from the meat which can cause stomach upset.
Foods cooked in fat can even be at risk of causing your dog pancreatitis as cooked fats are pro-inflammatory.
Macadamia Nuts
These nuts can make dogs wobbly, weak, shaky and sick, so keep the nut selection out of reach from your pets. Some human foods, even in small amounts, can make your pet poorly, which can result in a trip to the vet over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Blue Cheese
Cheeses are often consumed at Easter, but be careful as some of them are dangerous to our pets. Dogs can be allergic to roquefortine C, which is found in blue cheeses such as stilton, gorgonzola and Roquefort
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