Safety Tips to Keep Your Dog ‘Hoppy’ this Easter

While Easter and the start of spring bring fun, nice weather and celebrations, many pet parents don’t realize how dangerous this time of year can be for dogs. Here are three tips from Wag! – the number one, on-demand mobile app for dog walkers, sitters and boarders – to help keep your pet extra safe this time of year.

(PRNewsfoto/Wag!)

1)  Keep Easter Candy Far from Fido: While candy and other treats are fine for kids, your pup can get very sick from consuming the contents of an Easter basket. Chocolate and other types of candy can be extremely toxic for dogs. Milk chocolate contains 20 to 60 percent cacao and dark chocolate is 85 percent cacao, making it much more toxic due to the amount of caffeine and theobromine in it. Another ingredient to be aware of is xylitol, an artificial sweetener found in many sugar-free candies and chewing gum. These human treats can give your dog an upset stomach at best and can lead to death if consumed in great quantity.

2) Plastic Grass is a No-no: Decorating baskets with plastic Easter grass is fun but having your pup accidentally swallow it – definitely not fun. Dogs can’t digest or absorb plastic. If they eat the plastic grass, it can become entangled in their intestinal tract, which can cause many issues including nausea, loss of appetite and stomach pains and lead to surgery. Paper grass is a much safer alternative.

3) Blooms Are Beautiful and Often Poisonous: We all love spring flowers, but if your Benji goes wild digging up the garden, he can get very sick from eating certain bulbs and flowers. Tulips and daffodil bulbs are poisonous for dogs and can cause heart issues. Keep an eye on your pup when he’s in the garden, or better yet, keep him on a leash if he’s a digger.

If you think your dog has accidentally consumed something hazardous, don’t wait, take him straight to the vet.