Easter treats your dog must not eat!

Mar 15, 2024

Written by Luisa Stravino

Ahh Easter, the only time of year it's acceptable to eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We must remember though that some of our favourite Easter treats can be so dangerous to our precious dogs so we need to be really careful with what we leave our for the grabs.

From those delicious Easter chocolates to hot cross buns, many of our faves will result in a vet visit for our pups. Read on to find out which Easter treats are dangerous for dogs, and how to keep your pups safe during Easter.

Easter eggs & chocolate

Whilst we love to indulge in Easter Eggs and chocolate, it's contains a chemical called theobromine which is toxic to dogs. Dog's typically don't show symptoms for a few hours after eating chocolate and it can stay in their system for several days,

It can take several hours after eating chocolate before your pet shows any signs of illness. But due to the way some animals metabolise theobromine, it can stay in their system and continue to make them sick for several days.

Eating chocolate can cause the following symptoms:

Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Hyperactivity
Increased thirst and urination
Tremors
Seizures
Cardiac arrest
Death

All kinds of chocolate are dangerous for dogs, with dark chocolate and cocoa powder are more dangerous than other kinds of chocolate due to the higher levels of theobromine.

Keep all chocolate and chocolate-flavoured treats out of paws’ reach!

Cheeseboards

There's nothing quite like a cheeseboard after a lovely dinner but cheese is high in fat and salt, and too much of either can make your dog sick. Eating a large amount of cheese can cause dog's to have stomach ache and diarrhoea.

Also, this was a new one on me but did you know that some types of cheese are toxic to dogs. Mouldy or blue cheese contains a chemical called Roquefortine C which is harmful to dogs.

Hot cross buns

As delicious as hot cross buns are to us, your dog can't enjoy these with us.

Hot cross buns contain raisins, currants, and sultanas. These are all kinds of dried grapes, and grapes are highly toxic to dogs. In some cases, a single grape or raisin could prove life-threatening. It's the same with any foods containing any kind of grape type fruit.

One of the earliest symptoms of grape or raisin poisoning is vomiting, lethargy, diarrhoea and a loss of appetite. which can occur within 24 hours of eating. More severe symptoms can occur within 24-48 hours and indicate there has been damage to your dog's kidneys. If left untreated they can suffer from kidney failure and could die.

Symptoms of kidney failure in dogs include:

Lethargy
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Ammonia-smelling breath
Increased or excessive thirst and urination

Spring Flowers

It's always lovely yo have flowers around the house all year round but did you know that some of these pretty flowers are toxic to your dogs? I love having tulips, lilies and daffodils in the house but sadly these can cause significant harm.

All parts of these flowers can be toxic to dogs, with the bulbs being more dangerous than the flowers and stems, it's best to make sure that these flowers are kept away from paws!

What happens if my dog eats something they shouldn’t this Easter?

Call the vet at once!! It's just not worth the risk!! Our precious dog's are far too important to "wait and see".

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