Easter Dangers for your Pets: Chocolate, Hot Cross Buns + More
With Easter fast approaching, we thought it would be a good time to discuss the potential dangers your pet may face during this time. While it’s a season full of joy, food, and family gatherings, it’s also a time when our homes can unknowingly become filled with things that aren’t safe for our furry friends. From chocolate and hot cross buns to plastic eggs, small toys and festive decorations, there are plenty of tempting (but harmful) items that might be left within reach of curious pets. Being aware of these risks can help ensure your pet stays safe and healthy over the holiday period.
Chocolate: A Common Treat That’s Toxic to Cats and Dogs
The first danger, whilst loved by all, has the potential to cause quite severe illness in pets: chocolate. Chocolate contains theobromine, which is toxic and potentially lethal to our dogs and cats. The way in which it causes toxicity is by affecting the nervous system of the body.
The darker the chocolate, the higher the concentration of theobromine. This means just a small amount of dark or cooking chocolate can be quite serious to your pet’s health compared to higher quantities of milk chocolate. Most white chocolate is free of theobromide (because it’s not really chocolate), but is still best avoided due to its high sugar and fat content.
Symptoms of Chocolate Ingestion in Dogs and Cats
Clinical signs of chocolate toxicity usually occur within an hour or two after ingestion, though it can potentially be delayed up to 72-96 hours post ingestion due to theobromine having a long half-life.
Symptoms of chocolate ingestion in dogs, cats and other pets can include:
- vomiting and diarrhoea
- lethargy or depression
- irritation or hyperactivity
- muscle twitches and fasciculations
- tachycardia (fast heart rate)
- seizures, collapse and potential coma.
What to Do If Your Dog or Cat Eats Chocolate
If you think your pet has consumed any chocolate the best course of action is to contact your vet immediately. We’ll help determine if the amount ingested is toxic. If it is, or if the amount is unknown, we’ll usually recommend decontamination. This involves inducing vomiting soon after ingestion and before clinical signs begin. After this, activated charcoal is often administered to further absorb the theobromide. In more serious cases, hospitalisation will also be necessary to provide supportive care and manage symptoms.
Hot Cross Buns and Raisins
Hot cross buns – another Easter fan favourite, can also be quite a danger to your pets. Hot cross buns often contain raisins, which have the potential to cause irreversible kidney damage. It is quite common for hot cross buns to also contain chocolate, compounding the risk. Read our related article on why dogs can’t eat grapes, raisins and sultanas for further information.
Easter Toys and Decorations
With the celebration of Easter can come Easter toys, fluffy trinkets, plastic Easter eggs and cute decorations. All have the potential to be ingested by your pet and run the risk of causing a foreign body obstruction, which may require surgery if they get lodged in your pet’s intestines.
If at any stage, you think your pet has eaten chocolate, raisins or any of the Easter dangers mentioned, please don’t wait for symptoms to appear – call us on 08 70953377.
Emergency contacts during the Easter period:
SASH Adelaide, Kent Town: 08 81335300
Paw Prints Afterhours, Blackwood: 0438 099 309
Emergency Vet Adelaide, Plympton: 08 8121 3030
Adelaide Emergency Walk in Clinic, Prospect: 08 7123 2996
