Safety Tips to Keep Your Dog ‘Hoppy’ this Easter

by · Published · Updated

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.

More Lifestyle News:

  1. Survey Says… Americans Celebrating Easter with Chocolate Roughly 90 percent of Easter baskets will include chocolate or candy, according to a national survey by the National Confectioners Association. “Americans enjoy having chocolate and candy to help make celebrations like Easter even more fun and special,” said John...
  2. Hippity, Hoppity, Lands’ End Easter Totes are Here! Those in search of a “better basket” to fill with colorful eggs, chocolate bunnies and jelly beans will love Lands’ End’s keepsake Easter Tote collection. From happy bunnies to camouflaged eggs, the popular Easter Totes feature new designs and features...
  3. Safety Tips To Keep Pets Healthy This Holiday Season The holidays are full of family, fun and festivities – but they can also be a source of potential hazards for our cats and dogs. From increased stress levels to particularly harmful foods, the season’s activities can be a lot...
  4. Yowie Celebrates Earth Day Early With Easter Egg Hunts Across The U.S. Yowie Group LTD announced today that they will be traveling across the U.S. this April to celebrate Earth Day with Easter egg hunts for children. The popular chocolate brand from Australia will be participating in Easter egg hunts in the...
  5. Keeping Halloween Fun (and Not Scary or Dangerous) for Your Pets: Safety Tips Halloween is in just a few days, which means frightening family fun—from costume contests to trick-or-treating—is right around the corner. Although Halloween is filled with light-hearted tricks and treats, it’s important to keep safety in mind for every member of...
  6. Oatmega® Grass-Fed Whey Protein Cookies Let You Have Your Cookie And Good Nutrition Too Oatmega is introducing a tasty indulgence you can feel good about with the launch of its new grass-fed whey protein cookies. Oatmega, part of the Amplify Snack Brands portfolio of Better-For-You snacks, is known for its delicious line of grass-fed...
  7. Winter Storm Safety Tips for Pets Lucky the TurfMutt is a former street dog who spent cold days and nights without a home before he was rescued by Kris Kiser, President and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). Now, Lucky has a warm bed...
  8. Pets: Fourth of July Dangers and Safety Tips Independence Day is right around the corner, which means barbeques, pool parties and of course, fireworks. This Fourth of July, Nationwide®, the nation’s first and largest provider of pet health insurance, reminds pet owners that preparation and awareness are the...
  9. Lindt Celebrates The 65th Birthday Of Iconic Lindt GOLD BUNNY This Easter Season This Easter season, premium chocolatier Lindt USA is celebrating the 65th birthday of Lindt GOLD BUNNY. Lovingly dressed in gold foil with a red ribbon, this worldwide symbol of Easter has been adored by people of all ages since 1952...
  10. Tips to Employers on Making the Workplace More Pet-Friendly Pets Best Insurance Services, LLC, (Pets Best) a leading U.S. pet insurance agency based in Boise, knows the importance of a pet-friendly environment in the office, and works closely with HR departments and employers across diverse industries nationwide who want...