Easter Tips for You and Your Pet Have a Happy and Safe Easter with Your Four-Legged Friends

BY | March 08 | COMMENTS PUBLISHED BY
Easter Tips for You and Your Pet
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vet verified PetCareRx Staff Veterinarian DVM

Want to have a perfect Easter with your pet? Here's how to keep them happy and safe as you celebrate the holiday!

Pets and Easter are basically made for each other. A holiday overrun with baby chicks and bunnies, spring colors, hunting eggs, and playing outside? Yes, please!

But amidst all the pastel-colored fun going on, be sure to have your pet’s safety and happiness in mind. Follow these tips for a festive Easter! 

Keep Human Treats for Humans 

Chocolate, bunny-shaped or not, is very dangerous for pets. Don’t leave Easter treats and baskets on the floor where your pets can find them. Dogs especially have a nose for sniffing out chocolate, and eating too much will mean an emergency vet trip and in some cases, the dog may die.

Other candies aren’t pet-safe either: sugar and xylitol, a common artificial sweetener, aren’t good for pets. Keep your candy dishes and baskets put away or covered when you’re not in the room with your pet.

Easter eggs stuffed with candy can be tempting for dogs, and the plastic eggs themselves can get caught in your dog’s mouth or throat. Keep your pets in a separate room while your egg hunt is going on, and keep a count of the eggs, so you can be sure to collect them all!

Plants, Baskets, and Decorations

Some common plants and flowers are in fact toxic to pets, including the Easter lily. Cats can experience kidney failure from eating part of a lily. Consider artificial flowers, or keep your floral decorations in a no-cat zone.

Easter grass, like holiday tinsel, is incredibly tempting to cats—all that crinkly shininess! Cats instinctively want to pounce, play, and eat it. But Easter grass is incredibly dangerous to pets—it can get stuck in their digestive track and cause damage, often having to be surgically removed.

If you pet does get a hold of this—don’t pull it out of their mouth! It could be wrapped around something and you could end up causing damage. See your vet immediately instead. 

The safest bet is to use colored construction paper cut into large leaves or strips instead of Easter grass, or present your Easter baskets au naturel—piled with treats for your family but not extra decorations that may tempt your pets.

Pet-Safe Treats 

So what can you give your pet on Easter? Their very own Easter basket! Skip the confetti and grass—your pet won’t know the difference—and present your pet with a new cat or dog treat or a new toy. Playing with you in the fresh green grass will round out their holiday experience.

Easter Pets 

Baby chicks and bunnies are about the cutest things around—but they are also growing creatures that will require care for several years if you decide to buy one. If you’re already considering adding a chicken or a bunny to your family, and have considered the commitment, today may be the perfect day—but don’t bring home a pet on a whim. Take your family to a petting zoo or farm and feast your eyes on the cuteness there instead.

More on Pet Safety

Infographic: Pet Safety for the Holidays
Make a Disaster Plan for Your Pets
Cat and Dog Fire Safety

This information is for informational purposes only and is not meant as a substitute for the professional advice of, or diagnosis or treatment by, your veterinarian with respect to your pet. It has, however, been verified by a licensed veterinarian for accuracy.

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