One of A Kind Education

If the Easter Bunny is coming to your house this week, we want everyone to enjoy the holiday safely without incident. Unfortunately, holidays bring dangerous items for our pets, so while everyone is enjoying the festivities, keep these items safely tucked away from cats and dogs.

• Plastic Easter basket grass. This item poses a danger to both cats and dogs. It is colorful, fun, shiny, and bouncy, the perfect temptation to our household pets. Unfortunately, once this fun little item is ingested, it can wreak havoc on the gastrointestinal system, as the plastic grass is not digestible. There are now safer, paper options to choose from that are safer for our pets and our environment.

• Easter lilies. Many household plants and flowers are toxic to cats, and lilies are no exception. The plant is poisonous to our feline friends and eating  just one to two leaves can kill a cat. It is better to skip this part of Easter if you are a cat-owner or choose a safer option such as artificial flowers.

• Chocolate candy. The Easter Bunny is famous for bringing the most delicious chocolate candies and big, chocolate bunnies! They are often found wrapped in beautiful, shiny foils as well. Not only do they appear playful, but they smell delightful! Should your pet eat these items, they will most likely not remove the wrapping (no thumbs). This is a choking and foreign body hazard in itself. The chocolate is also toxic to cats and dogs. Caffein and theobromine are both found in chocolate and should not be ingested, as it can cause serious illness. The artificial sweetener, Xylitol, is also highly toxic to both cats and dogs.

• Table scraps. If we are to be totally honest with ourselves, we can all admit that we have given our pets a bite of chicken, cheese, or other yummy table scraps. Many are harmless. However, many are not. Onions, garlic, grapes, raisins, coffee, alcohol, avocados, and chives are a few of the toxic foods that can cause serious illness in pets. Additionally, older pets may not have the ability to break down fatty foods, causing a bout of pancreatitis that can sometimes be fatal. It is best to err on the side of caution and leave the human food to the humans.

Have a happy and safe Easter from everyone at One of A Kind Pet Rescue!