It's Easter weekend, and everyone's experiencing a rush of sugar, spice and everything nice. Chocolate Easter eggs dipped in sweet candy are laid in the garden by a mythical hopping creature and kids are running around on a hunt to overindulge in the sweet surprises. Your big fluffy four-legged Franky wants in on the Easter treats too. He is giving you puppy dog eyes and begging you for a bite of your Easter feast. It’s hard to ignore the adorable pooch, but feeding your dog chocolate or other human treats could be fatal.
Easter weekend is no egg-ception! You should NEVER feed your dogs the following 3 foods:
- Death by chocolate
Take this word of advice from the famous Oreo ad: “Chocolate isn’t good for dogs, but you can have the rest of my milk”.
Sadly, chocolate is poisonous to dogs. According to Hill’s Pet Nutrition, the component of chocolate that is toxic to dogs is called theobromine. Whereas humans easily metabolise theobromine, dogs process it much more slowly allowing it to build up to toxic levels in their system.
Does size matter?
Fur-sure! If you feed your Yorkie an entire chocolate Easter bunny, he may experience seizures, irregular heartbeat, internal bleeding or a heart attack. If you, however, feed him a tiny speckled egg, he'll most likely only suffer from an upset tummy. But, we still don’t recommend feeding your pooch any amount of chocolate.
2. Easter candies aren't sweet.
Marshmallow bunnies are super chewy and just sooo tasty, but unfortunately can’t be shared with Franky. Many sweets contain a sweetener called xylitol. The sweetener can cause blood sugar fluctuations in people, but for dogs, it may lead to a very rapid drop in sugar level. If consumed in large amounts, it can cause seizures.
If your furry friend munches sweets as you do, they can become obese, have dental problems and develop diabetes. Xylitol can also damage the digestive system. So that means no jelly beans, cakes or any other desserts for your dog this Easter, or ever!
3. Yeasty dough no-go
Baking some hot cross buns for breakfast? Bake away, but don’t chuck the leftover dough in Franky’s bowl. That’s bad for the doggy’s tum-tum and can lead to alcohol poisoning.
Raw dough mixtures ferment and expand inside a dog’s stomach, leaving the dog feeling uncomfortable, bloated and buzzed.
‘Dough’ you know: your dog can get drunk?
Your dog can get drunk on dough because yeast uses sugars in the unbaked dough which produces carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. Alcohol from the fermenting yeast is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and results in alcohol poisoning.
Common signs to watch for:
- Depression or lethargy
- Drooling
- Retching
- Vomiting
- Distended stomach
- Elevated heart rate
- Weakness
- Collapse
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
- Hypothermia (low body temperature)
4. No going nuts on Macadamias
It’s okay to go nuts on healthy treats, but don't go nuts serving macadamias as a snack this Easter. Even accidentally dropping a nut or three on the floor this Easter isn’t an egg-scuse for the pooches to munch them. Macadamia nuts are highly poisonous to dogs! The life-threatening dose is minute - only 2.2 grams for a little dog. After consuming a single nut, a small dog can experience vomiting, muscle tremors and even paralysis of back legs. Symptoms are visible about 12 hours after eating a nut.
In a nutshell: NEVER feed your hungry hound macadamia nuts and if you notice some of the above symptoms, call your vet ASAP!
5. Raisins raise problems
If you are enjoying a traditional raisin hot cross bun and Franky jumps to snatch a bite, pull away! Even though the poor pooch would love a taste of the sweet snack, you shouldn’t feed your dog raisins. Even one raisin can poison your dog and can lead to serious health issues like kidney failure.
Common signs to watch for:
- Vomitingand/or diarrhea – often within a few hours of ingestion. Vomit and faecal contents material may contain pieces of raisin.
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy, weakness, unusual quietness
- Abdominal pain
- Dehydration
- Foul breath
- Oral ulcers
- Tremors
- Seizures
If you notice any of the above symptoms, call an emergency vet immediately. Don’t try to treat your dog yourself! While you rush your dog to the vet for care, make sure that a trusted family member keeps the pooch comfortable and calm by covering the sick pup in one of their favourite blankies. Trust the vet and give your pet lots of TLC during recovery.
If you want to spoil your furry family for Easter, your best bet is to make a dog-friendly treat. You can use cookie cutters to create dog treats shaped like eggs, carrots or bunnies.
Here is a video of a delicious carrot biscuit recipe:
Show your fur-kids that somebunny loves them by giving them healthy treats this Easter!
