Make Easter safe for pets

Happy Easter to you! This is such a sacred holiday, one when families get together to celebrate the meaning of this special day.

It’s also a day to enjoy great food, hunting Easter eggs and eating lots of chocolate. That means there’ll be pretty, decorated Easter baskets filled with every treasure imaginable.

Please know that for however beautiful those Easter baskets are they represent a significant danger to your pet. You know that plastic colorful grass in the bottom of the basket? I know it’s pretty and festive but it’s really not good for your pet to play with and certainly not consume.

Kitties are especially interested in playing with it and swatting it all about. Sometimes, unfortunately, they ingest it, causing terrible problems with their intestines.

One thing you may not think about being a hazard for your dog is the actual Easter egg. Regardless of whether they’re real or plastic, the egg, just by its very shape, is a choking hazard for your dog.

Please don’t let your dog have access to Easter eggs. Count how many eggs you hide and how many are collected to make sure none are left in your yard that your dog may find later.

One of the most deadly Easter items is chocolate candy. Remember chocolate is toxic to pets — yet oh, so tempting. Please make sure all candy is kept away from pets.

This is easier to do before Easter baskets are distributed, because once the kids are given the basket it’s easy to forget about the hazards. Please have a conversation with the kids today so they’ll be aware of keeping their Easter candy away from their beloved pets.

If your pet does eat chocolate, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Depending on the type of chocolate, how much was eaten and the weight of your pet, your pet may need immediate attention.

Easter’s also a time we like to give the kids memorable gifts. If you’re thinking about giving your kids an animal of any type, please make it a stuffed animal. This is the time of year live baby bunnies, ducklings and chicks are everywhere for sale. Please do not buy them.

I’ll be the first to admit there’s nothing cuter than a baby of any kind. But the sad reality about baby animals given to children as Easter gifts is the majority don’t survive. These are tiny, delicate creatures susceptible to being inadvertently harmed or killed. Children aren’t always skilled at handling tiny vulnerable baby animals.

For the few who do survive, the novelty soon wears off when the baby grows up. That’s why a few months after Easter animal control departments begin to see an increase in surrenders of rabbits. Please stick with the stuffed animals instead.

Enjoy this beautiful Easter holiday and take pet precautions to keep your pets safe. You’ll be glad you did.

This story was originally published April 12, 2017 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Make Easter safe for pets."