Keeping Your Pet Safe This Easter

As the year continues to fly by, and Easter quickly creeps upon us, we thought it would be good to touch base on the threats Easter poses to our pets. Read on to learn the biggest risks around Easter and how to ensure you have a happy, healthy weekend.

What Easter Hazards Are There?

Threatening Foods

Top of our list, of course, has to be chocolate! It’s well-known that chocolate is poisonous to dogs. The chemical in it, theobromine, (which is more potent in darker chocolate), can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, panting/fast breathing, seizures, restlessness and can be fatal. Theobromine is equally toxic for cats and rabbits. Remember to keep all Easter choc out of reach from your furry friends.

Hot cross buns: It’s often lesser-known that grapes and dried fruits, such as raisins and currants, are also highly toxic to both dogs and cats. Ingestion can result in kidney failure. We suggest keeping your furry friends away from the hot cross buns!

It can be tempting your treat your dog to your leftover Easter roast, however, it’s important to remember table scraps pose their own risk also. Bones, even big ones, can splinter when chewed. These splinters can cause obstruction and/or perforation in both the throat and stomach and cause serious issues. Onions and other Allium species of plants (such as garlic and leeks) can also cause stomach upsets in dogs and can damage red blood cells, resulting in anaemia. Foods high in fat (such as bacon and ham) should also be avoided, not only do they lead to unnecessary weight gain but they can also harm pets' digestive systems. The high salt content of these foods can also make our pets excessively thirsty.

Flower Power

Lilies are a common flower associated with spring. Although beautiful, Lilies pose a significant risk to our cats and can, unfortunately, prove fatal. Cat owners should be wary of having these in their homes and gardens - in some species of Lily, all parts of the plant are toxic, from the leaves, petals and stamen, and even the water in their vase. If you think your cat may have come into contact with a Lily or ingested any please call your vet immediately.

Spring is the perfect time to plant bulbs and get your garden ready for summer! However, it’s important to remember that popular spring bulbs, such as daffodils and tulips, are poisonous to both dogs and cats. It’s best to keep them out of harm's way.

Deadly Decor

The classic ‘Easter Egg Hunt’ is a staple of Easter weekends. Although fun and games, they can in fact be deadly to our pets! When planning an Easter egg hunt we suggest keeping a mental note of the eggs hidden, to ensure none are left for the consumption of our pets! Chocolate, plastic, and raw real eggs all pose a risk if ingested by our pets and can even cause intestinal blockage.

Decorative fake grass is a popular choice to fill up Easter baskets or decorate tables. However, both plastic and paper grass can cause intestinal blockages and other issues in your pet’s digestive systems and in some cases will require surgery for removal.

Please see below our opening hours over Easter.