MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
With the Easter holiday next weekend, there are concerns for pet owners. Dr. Erica Miller of Apple Lane Animal Hospital talked about Easter being problematic for our pets.
The first issue is chocolate. She commented that the main thing that people always think about is the chocolate. The chocolate bunnies and all the candy in the Easter baskets.
Dr. Miller said, "That's probably our number one call would be, well, my dog ate some of the chocolate." Miller added. "So if you do have that situation, do call your veterinarian.
"They'll be able to kind of walk you through next steps, what those might look like sometimes, depending on what it is, you know, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, it could be anywhere from just a little bit of stomach upset, you know, maybe some vomiting or diarrhea, but could also be more severe for having the dark chocolate is as well." said Dr. Miller.
The next concern is candy. It used to be just a little gastrointestinal upset, but with the popularity of sugar-free candies, you have to be concerned about the pets getting into them.
Dr. Miller said, "We have to be really careful about our pets getting the sugar-free candy with Xylitol. Xylitol can cause a really big drop in blood sugar in our pets, which can mean seizures and other issues."
Another concern pertains to cat owners. That concern is lilies. Easter lilies and other lilies are toxic to cats.
Dr. Miller said, " I know we've talked about it before, but lilies are highly, highly, highly toxic to cats, and we don't know what exactly in them is but anything from the pollen." " So, cats jump on the counter, up by the flowers. They're sniffing it. There's pollen that's dropped onto the counter. There they have it on their paws, and you know, we know dogs and cats groom themselves and licks, so then they ingest that pollen. But anything from the stem, the leaves, the flower and the pollen is all toxic to cats.
She said that she has had some cats come into the clinic that had access to lilies before, and it can cause renal failure. She said that if you are a cat family, make sure that lilies are not in your flower arrangements or home.