Easter festivities often include delicious food and even more scrumptious sweets, but some of these decadent foods can pose a real health threat to our dogs.
Here is a quick list of the most dangerous Easter foods that are harmful for our canine family members.
NOTE: if you think your dog has consumed any of the following foods or shows symptoms of toxic poisoning, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Chocolate
Chocolate is toxic for dogs and that is a pretty widely known fact. Chocolate contains theobromine, which is highly poisonous for dogs and even cats. It is so toxic that even just a few bites can lead to poisoning.
Chocolate also contains caffeine which is also poisonous for dogs. The most dangerous kinds of chocolate are dark chocolate and unsweetened chocolate.
Signs of chocolate poisoning include diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, increased urination, restlessness, and abnormal heart rate.
Candy and Sweets that contain Xylitol
Xylitol is a sugar substitute commonly found in sugar-free candy, sugar-free gum, sugar-free baked goods, etc. Xylitol can also be found in toothpaste, vitamins, and supplements.
Ingesting Xylitol can cause a drop in blood sugar for dogs as well as liver failure and death.
Signs of Xylitol poisoning include diarrhea, lethargy, vomiting, seizures, and weakness. Symptoms may not show immediately after consuming Xylitol.
Macadamia Nuts
While not usually fatal to our furry friends, it is considered toxic by veterinarians.
Signs of Macadamia nut poisoning for dogs include vomiting, tremors, and an increase in temperature. Your dog may also experience lethargy, wobbliness, joint stiffness, and depression after eating a large amount of Macadamia nuts.
Ham
Ham is high in calories and fats. Consuming too many fatty foods is dangerous for your dog’s health. Not only can it cause weight gain, but it can also cause life-threatening illness like pancreatitis.
Poultry Bones
Cooked poultry bones can break down into sharp, long fragments. In most cases, dogs swallow these bones immediately which means the sharp bones can penetrate your dog’s digestive tract. As a result, this can cause choking, gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, and even internal bleeding.
Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes are not actually dangerous for dogs. But mashed potatoes often include additional flavorings such as onion powders, garlic powders, butter, and milk. All of these flavorings are dangerous for dogs.
Butter and milk can cause diarrhea for dogs. Other ingredients such as onions, chives, garlic, and leeks are toxic for dogs and even cats.
These ingredients can cause low blood pressure and gastroenteritis for dogs. Symptoms may not show up for several days but include drooling, upset stomach, abdominal pain, pale gums, lethargy, and nausea.
Alcoholic Beverages
Dogs simply cannot handle their booze. Because of their size, the alcohol hits their bloodstream relatively quickly.
Signs of alcohol consumption in dogs and cats include a drop in their blood sugar and their blood temperature. As a result, this can lead to seizures and respiratory failure.
If your dog is vomiting, drooling, gagging, or appears disoriented, it is possible they have consumed alcohol. In this case, it is best to contact your vet immediately.
Easter gatherings can also bring your pups into contact with friends and family members who are not dog-savvy and might not know which foods are dangerous for our canine companions. Be sure to keep an eye on your pups during the holiday and warn guests not to feed them table scraps.
Have a happy, healthy Easter from DSDA!
It’s more than an act of common courtesy. Picking up your dog’s poop can help the environment by keeping our air, water, and earth free of dangerous toxins.
It’s TOXIC! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies dog waste in the same category as oil spills. That means that the EPA considers it a toxic pollutant.
Dog poop spreads all kinds of germs! The EPA states that pet waste carries viruses, bacteria, and parasites that can threaten the health of humans and wildlife. (Plus, ew!!!)
In the United States, dogs ALONE create more than 10 million tons of waste each year. (Yes, 10 MILLION TONS!)
If you don’t scoop your dog’s poop it can mix in with storm water runoff, into storm drains, or nearby bodies of water… which means you could, in theory, eventually drink your dog’s waste. (Gross!) The EPA says animal feces often ends up in lakes and streams and causes significant water pollution! This definitely makes water unsafe for swimming or drinking.
Studies have shown that 20-30% of the bacteria in water samples in urban watersheds come from dog waste.
In fact… if you take the waste from 100 dogs for 2-3 days, you will find enough bacteria, nitrogen and phosphorous to close 20 SQUARE MILES of water for swimming.
If you’re not grossed out enough by drinking dog waste, get ready for this! Dog feces can actually contaminate the air you breathe! In fact, a study of air samples found that 10-50% of the bacteria IN THE AIR came from dog waste.
So, in conclusion, please, please, PLEASE scoop your dog’s poop! Your neighbors and your health will thank you for it!
We would like to give a big thanks to Spots.com for supporting DSDA. What better way than to show THEM a little love?
It shouldn’t be rocket science to figure out what’s best to buy for your pets. That’s why spots.com hires experts to do the research for you.
Spots.com has a mission that is easy. They want to make your buying decision simple & quick while giving you all of the information necessary to dig as deep as you want.
Online shopping has made it easier than ever for new pet product companies to pop up & sell their gear, and it’s hard to tell who makes good stuff & who doesn’t. That’s why Spots.com hired a team of expert pet owners to test out & do the fact digging so that you don’t have to. They do this through an extensive testing & writing process.
1. They look at big retailers as well as independent stores to give you a definitive answer on what the best products on the market are.
2. Spots.com figures out what you & other pet owners are looking for in a product. With hundreds of breeds, various lifestyles, and divergent priorities, everyone has different needs for the products they want. They made sure to take all of that into account and give recommendations for each use case.
3. Research, research and more research. Spots.com takes into account the experiences of thousands of other pet owners as well as the opinions of their own experts.
4. Not every product makes the cut and not every product on the market gets a Spots.com recommendation.
5. Spots.com doesn’t sugarcoat reviews of products that we don’t think you should buy.
The Spots.com team adds new reviews every week, so their website often!