Easter Hazards for Pets

We love Easter! Spring is a wonderful time to get back outdoors and enjoy the sun after our long cold winter. Easter brings flowers,  bunnies and baskets, flowers and warmer weather but it also bring some pet hazards that most of us never consider. Lets look at a  few of the most common we will see this holiday and then take inventory in your own homes. It's better than the alternative of spending Easter in the emergency room at the veterinary hospital.

1)Plastic Easter eggs and other small plastic toys are easy for pets to ingest. They can then become either choking hazards or foreign objects trapped in the gastrointestinal tract. Make sure to keep dogs and cats away from Easter baskets or if joining the family festivities make sure to keep a close eye that no one steals an egg.

2) At Spring we start to see the beautiful flowers. One of the most popular at Easter is the Easter lily. Most pet owners are unaware that the flower is highly toxic to cats. The Lily is not toxic to the dog but if enough is ingested a wicked upset stomach will ensue.  All parts of the Easter lily plant are poisonous – the petals, the leaves, the stem and even the pollen. Cats love to play and chew  on indoor plants. If the cat ingest as few as one or two leaves, they can suffer severe kidney failure.

What to look for if you think your cat has ingested some of the lily: symptoms can often develop within 12 hours of exposure. Early signs  are consistent with kidney disease such as: vomiting, not eating, lethargy and dehydration. Some cats if severe may stagger or have seizures.
There is no effective antidote for lily poisoning we treat the exposure with supportive care. So if you think your cat has been exposed the sooner you can get your cat to us the better his or her chances are at survival.

A few other lilies that are toxic to cats include the Tiger lilies, Day lilies and Asiatic lilies. These are often found in florist bouquets  so you may want to file this away in thing to remember for anniversaries, weddings, funerals, birthdays, etc.

3)We talked about Easter eggs and small toys that are often found in Easter baskets. Now lets talk about the Easter basket itself.  Easter baskets are often filled with the colorful plastic strings we all know as Easter grass. They even make this now as a candy and some are even scented.  This stuff is an Easter staple and I couldn't imagine the holiday without it. Here is the problem though if your cat or dog ingests something “stringy” like Easter grass, it can become stuck at the base of the tongue or stomach, rendering it unable to pass through the intestines. The grass now becomes a linear foreign object and cause severe damage to the intestinal tract, often requiring expensive abdominal surgery. So watch those baskets carefully! Cats are especially sneaking with this one!


4) Easter would not be complete without candy. Chocolate Easter bunnies, marshmallow peeps, Cadbury cream eggs, assorted gums and jelly beans... I am excited just thinking about it all. Many dogs including my own have a sweet tooth, a great nose and a determination to find chocolate!  This is a major concern.  The chemical toxin in chocolate is methylxanthines (a relative of caffeine). The signs to watch for are vomiting, diarrhea and  hyperactivity. We will often see an abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and possibly death.
The other danger is candy that is made with xylitol. Xylitol is an artificial sweetener used in many candies, chewing gums and baked goods. Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs. Small amounts of the sugar alcohol can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), tremors, weakness, seizures, liver failure or even death in dogs.

Try and keep these hazards in mind. If any exposure occurs, remember we are always here to help you and your pets. We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Easter.