Good information From Vet Med Connect
Top 4 Easter Dangers for Pets
1) Easter Lily – this iconic flowering plant is highly toxic, even deadly, to cats. The toxin of this plant causes kidney failure within 6 – 12 hours of ingestion. There is no antidote; treatment is supportive and must be quick and aggressive to counter the toxin.
Other plants of the Lilium and Hemerocallis species, commonly referred to as Tiger lilies, Day lilies and Asiatic lilies, are also toxic. Asiatic lilies are commonly found in grocery store bouquets.
“Unbeknownst to many pet owners, Easter lilies are highly toxic to cats,” said Ahna Brutlag, DVM, assistant director at Pet Poison Helpline. “All parts of the Easter lily plant are poisonous – the petals, the leaves, the stem and even the pollen. Cats that ingest as few as one or two leaves, or even a small amount of pollen while grooming their fur, can suffer severe kidney failure.”
2) Easter Grass - while not a toxin, this ‘fake grass’ can be very tempting to cats and dogs. The plastic stringiness of Easter grass can get caught around the tongue or bunched up in the intestines, causing a complete blockage, or what is known as a Linear Foreign Body; a bunching up, and sometimes slicing through, the intestines.
3) Xylitol – this sweetener is commonly found in gum (the amount varies widely by brand of gum), baked goods, and candy. It is very toxic in small amounts to dogs and ferrets.
4) Chocolate – bunnies, eggs, and all sorts of chocolate goodness abound at this time of year. Most people know that chocolate should not be eaten by pets (more for us!), but ingestion accidents happen. Pets can be sneaky and can sniff out chocolate, even when hidden.
Most of the chocolate this time of year is the milk chocolate variety, which is one of the least toxic (darker, more bitter chocolate is more toxic), but gastric upset can occur. Larger chocolate ingestions may bring on tremors.
