Easter is fast approaching and with it, your children are probably excited about receiving huge Easter baskets, stuffed full of goodies. If you have dogs in the house you need to be aware of the dangers of Easter baskets. Your children should also be aware of Easter basket rules to help keep your pet safe.
Plastic Easter Grass
While all of the bright colors make an Easter basket look great, the plastic Easter grass can be deadly to your dog. These colorful strips of plastic may find their way to the floor where Fido will look at them as something to play with. He may even eat them, because they will smell like candy and chocolate.
The problem is, the dog can’t digest these plastic strips and they can lay in clumps and cause stomach or intestine blockage. If the dog eats enough of the plastic grass to cause blockage, surgery may be required. If the dog is sensitive or has allergies, she may even become sick due to the dye in the Easter grass.
A safe, healthy alternative for your children and your dog is to use tissue paper in the basket or shredded paper. Purchase a pack of colorful recycled or organic paper and run it through your shredder.
Plastic Easter Eggs
If your child drops a plastic Easter egg on the floor, it will roll like a ball. Your dog will think it’s a game and happily chase after it. A large dog can pounce on the small egg and break it apart, exposing sharp edges. Even a small dog may be able to grab and bite enough to break the plastic egg.
These shards of plastic can get lodged anywhere in the dog’s digestive system. They may even cut and tear as they make their way through the stomach and intestines. If they cause the dog to vomit, they will come back out quicker then they went in. This can cause the dog to choke, or the pieces can tear the throat or become lodged, all requiring an emergency trip to the vet.
The solution is either to eliminate the plastic eggs from the Easter basket, or to watch very carefully so that your dog doesn’t accidently get one. This is very important if you have an Easter egg hunt in your back yard. Count all of the eggs that you hide and make sure they are all found before letting your dog out into the yard. He will find them and try to break them open to get the candy out.
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