Tasty & Toxic Easter Treats

If like many, you are planning an Easter egg hunt in your house or garden, or a bountiful Easter feast this weekend, your dog or cat may have more access to things that could poison them than any other time of the year.

Here’s a short checklist to make sure all your Easter goodies only get eaten by humans:

Easter Eggs – check?

Chocolate is a big ‘no no’ for dogs and cats at any time of the year as it can make them very poorly. It contains a substance called theobromine which can have harmful and even tragic consequences for a dog. Make sure to keep your Easter eggs and any other chocolate out of your pet’s reach at all times.

If you are doing an Easter egg hunt in your house or garden and have a dog, it might not be the best idea to use real chocolate, or anything your dog can choke on as they are inquisitive souls. If you do use chocolate, make sure you ‘find’ every hidden egg before your dog does!

Hot Cross Buns – check?

This tasty Easter treat typically contains spices and various fruits such as currants, raisins, and/or candied citrus. None of these items will do your dog or cat any good but currants, raisins, and sultanas, in particular, are extremely toxic to them. In some cases, just one tiny morsel can prove fatal so it’s important to act fast if your pet has eaten any.

Easter Cake – check?

Easter cakes come in a variety of flavours and contain a whole host of mixed ingredients. As a general rule, you should not be giving your dog or cat overly sweet things like cakes or biscuits made for humans, as they can have difficulty processing the sugars and fats, and if your pet has borderline kidney disease, a ‘moment on the lips’ can actually do a lot more harm than you’d think.

Some cake ingredients that are harmful to pets might include xylitol (an artificial sweetener found in some sweet treats, peanut butter, gum, and sugar-free drinks), macadamia nuts, dried fruit, spices, chocolate… Did you know that most dogs are lactose intolerant? So ‘one for me’ and ‘one for the dog’ isn’t advised when it comes to fresh cream!

An Easter Tipple – clink, check?

Pets can be severely more affected by alcohol than humans so it’s important to keep your wine, beer, cider and spirits out of reach of your pets. You’d be surprised how many will go in for the taste test!

If you think your dog has eaten or drunk something they shouldn’t have, note the time, save the packaging and contact us straight away on 01527 889810

You can find more information about our emergency pet care here >

More springtime advice for pet owners:

Springtime dangers all dog owners should watch out for

Spring health advice for rabbits in Worcestershire

Put a spring in your cat’s step with some advice from Clent Hills Vets