Easter weekend celebrations = chocolate bunnies missing their ears, excessive pastel decorations, and extended family sized brunches. It may be fun and egg hunts, but these festivities are can be full of hidden pet hazards.
Dr. Burr, on-staff veterinarian at Trupanion offers the following tips for keeping pets safe and sounds this Easter.
Easter Pet Safety Tips
• Easter Lilies: Although a floral decoration staple in the springtime, Easter lilies are actually incredibly dangerous to our feline friends. Lily toxicity is one of Trupanion’s most common and most expensive toxicity claims, with an average cost of $1,000. Just one nibble of a lily plant can make your cat incredibly sick, and left untreated can be deadly.
• Easter Grass: The essential Easter basket filler may be colorful and fun, but pets are not able to digest the long plastic strands. If ingested, Easter grass can cause intestinal obstruction or may become wrapped around the base of your pet’s tongue resulting in injury. The best option for pet households is to substitute plastic grass with colorful shredded paper grass or Easter-themed tissue paper.
• Chocolate Bunnies: Gifts from the Easter Bunny are never short of chocolate, whether it be bunny or egg shaped. Chocolate contains caffeine, theobromine and sometimes xylitol, which are all toxic to pets. On average, chocolate-related toxicity claims cost pet owners about $240 per claim and up to $1,200.
• Hidden Eggs: The competitive Easter egg hunt is all fun and games until you forget where they’re hidden. Although small amounts of hardboiled egg is a safe treat, spoiled eggs can cause gastrointestinal issues, so be sure to pick up any eggs left after the Easter egg hunt. Also, don’t allow pets to play with plastic Easter eggs as they may shatter when chewed causing injury and sharp plastic pieces may potentially be swallowed.
• Brunch: Easter brunch is full of delicious recipes, but be careful not to have the whole family sneaking table scraps to the dog. Ham specifically is high in fat and salt, which can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, panting, and excessive thirst.
Information from Trupanion.