Easter Hazards

Easter, like most holidays, is a busy time.  As many families prepare to celebrate Easter, it is important to keep in mind that this spring holiday may pose potential hazards for our furry friends.  Before you hide eggs in your yard and decorate your home, please read the top four most common Easter dangers:

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Chocolate

The Poison Control Center averages 37 calls a day about pets eating chocolate —that’s a lot of foil-wrapped eggs!
Fortunately, like Halloween candy, Easter chocolates tend to have non-chocolate fillings versus solid chocolate. Nevertheless, animals who’ve ingested Easter chocolate should be monitored for pancreatitis.  Also, don’t forget to check if the chocolate contains raisins, macadamia nuts, alcohol, and/or xylitol.

Plants

Easter is the spring kick-off for indoor and outdoor toxins.
Of course, there are many troublesome plants out there, but bulbs and lilies tend to predominate on this holiday.  
Unfortunately, many cat owners still are not aware of the danger lilies pose. Exposure to any parts of the plant can result in kidney injury and gastrointestinal upset.

Easter Grass

Plastic Easter grass is a common call to poison control hot lines. Although the decorative grass that lines baskets is generally not a concern for toxicity, it can cause a linear foreign body obstruction.  Please try to keep it away from your pets.

Fertilizers & Herbicides

Warmer weather brings out gardeners, and the Easter holiday for many parts of the country is warm enough that people head outside to get that first application of fertilizer on the grass. In southern parts of the country they may be heading outside with weed killers.  While these don’t often cause serious problems, it is best to keep pets indoors while applying the products and wait to let your pet out until the product has been watered in or the ground is dry.