April 2022
Easter
With Easter and bank holidays coming up, we understand how people love to include their family pet during the holidays and festivities over the coming weeks and months.
It is important to know that there are foods that are poisonous for our dogs. Some of these foods I wouldn’t have known are poisonous if it wasn’t for having such a dog loving family. If you think your dog may have eaten any of the foods below, always take them to your vets and get them checked over as soon as possible.
Chocolate is the main poison that everyone is most aware of. Chocolate has Theobromine; a chemical which is highly toxic to dogs. If your dog eats chocolate, it can cause an upset stomach with vomiting and diarrhoea. Dogs cannot digest theobromine which is why they become so ill.
We all enjoy a hot cross bun at Easter, or a toasted teacake at any time of the year. The dried fruit can cause kidney failure. It is still not known how or why our furry little friends end up with serious illness as it is still being investigated by the Animal Poison Control Centre in America. In April 2003 to April 2004 the APPC saw 140 cases with 50 dogs developing symptoms and 7 dogs dying.
Sugar Free Sweets use something called Xylitol which is highly dangerous for dogs. If your dog ingests something containing Xylitol, it is quickly absorbed in the bloodstream which causes your dog's pancreas to release insulin. No deaths have been reported through a dog ingesting xylitol, but even a small amount can cause hypoglycaemia causing seizures, liver failure and sadly death.
We all see dogs eating bones in films, but when your furry friend is eyeing up your lamb bone fresh out the oven you must not give in and give them the bone. It maybe a one time treat but a cooked bone can splinter and cause internal damage and obstruction resulting in costly veterinary treatment for your dog, as well as the trauma he or she would go through. If you want your dog to feel like part of the family, this easter buy them their own bone - separate and special.
We are always careful when it comes to what our dogs can and can’t eat from the kitchen. Surprisingly garlic and onions are also on the list of harmful foods for our dogs. Garlic is poisonous to dogs due to a compound called thiosulfate. Thiosulfate is not toxic to humans, but in dogs it causes damage to their red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body. Onions contain a toxic principle known as N-propyl disulfide. This compound causes a breakdown of red blood cells, leading to anaemia in dogs.
The synthetic Easter Grass that we get in hampers and to decorate our Easter Bonnets may be pretty but if our dogs ingest it, it can cause a world of problems for them and you. The easter grass is not meant to be eaten and can cause damage to your dog’s intestines, as well as the expense of rushing them to the vets for x-rays, or possibly surgery if your vet cannot get the synthetic grass out any other way.
None of this is written to scare you, but to educate and remind us all that our pets will do anything to fit in and be a part of the family, no matter how ill it can make them. If you do have any concerns or worries, please speak to your vet as soon as you can for expert advice.