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Community Corner

How to Keep Your Pet Safe This Easter

To ensure the Easter weekend is a safe and happy holiday for all those involved, here are a few tips for pet owners.

With Easter just around the corner, many of us are gearing up for festivities and family get-togethers. While these gatherings are fun, they can pose some serious dangers to your pet’s overall health. To ensure this Easter weekend is a safe and happy holiday for all those involved, here are a few things for pet owners to be mindful of:

Easter Lilies

These beautiful flowers are often the gift of choice during this holiday season. But did you know they are toxic to cats? Cats by nature tend to chew on grass and certain plants. If your cat were to ingest any portion of this flower, it could lead to vomiting, lethargy, kidney failure or even death. If you receive lilies as a gift, rather than throwing them away, try re-gifting them out to another family member or friend who doesn’t have cats in their household. 

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Table Scraps

As your number of houseguests increases, so do the chances that your pet will be given access to table scraps. Chances are most of your houseguests aren’t aware of the detrimental side effects table food can have on pets. Children are highly likely to slip pets food, but they aren’t the only ones. So be sure to correct the behavior immediately if you see it happening. Or perhaps make a quick announcement to your guests that giving your pet table scraps (no matter how cute their begging faces are) is a no-no.

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Chocolate Bunnies

These yummy treats are certainly in abundance during the Easter holiday! As such, the chances of your pet accidentally getting a hold of one are much higher. This is a dangerous reality because chocolate can be fatal to dogs and cats.

Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, which can be lethal to pets depending on the dose and their size. This is to say that if a small dog or cat got a hold of a few Easter treats, it could have deadly consequences. The same outcome applies to medium or larger dogs getting into an Easter basket full of chocolate candies.

So be mindful of where these dangerous treats are being stored this Easter season. Keep them off of the floor, couches and low-lying tables. Ideally, they should be stored away in cabinets or food pantries, as cats and some limber dogs have no problem getting to higher surfaces like countertops.

A Full House

While family gatherings can be very fun and exciting for most humans, they can actually be very stressful to your pet. Even the most social pets can become fatigued and unsettled by a house full of people. Pets consider their home environments to be their safe havens, so a substantial increase in noise, movement and people can leave your pet feeling vulnerable, uncertain and anxious. Make sure your pet has access to a safe and quiet place where they can escape the commotion if they become too overwhelmed. 

Egg Hunts

For many people, this is one of the highlights of Easter. While searching high and low for treat-filled eggs, it’s important to keep in mind that pets are very likely to try to join in on the fun, too! If you’re conducting an Easter egg hunt in your home or in your backyard, be sure your animals are kept separate from the festivities for their own safety. After the egg hunt is over, make sure all of the eggs and treats have been accounted for. If not, your pet and their heightened sense of smell will surely seek out any treats that may have been forgotten about, which could pose a very big problem for you as well as the health of your pet.

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