Protect Your Family Pets during the Passover and Easter Holidays

Chicago, Illinois—Family pets are at risk due to a number of items commonly found in homes during the Passover and Easter holiday season. Pet owners must take precautionary measures to maintain a safe environment in their homes.

The Easter lily plant, chocolate, lamb and ham bones, and Easter grass are several of the easily identifiable culprits affecting pets during the holiday season.

The entire Easter lily plant – the petals, the leaves, the stem, and pollen – is poisonous for cats. Severe kidney failure may result from ingestion. The outward signs in the early stage of poisoning include vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, and dehydration. Immediate treatment of a cat by your veterinarian is necessary for a successful outcome.

Specific dangers are posed by varieties of chocolate. While a single chocolate chip will not adversely harm a dog, pet owners should be concerned about methyl xanthine in dark and Baker’s chocolate, and xylitol in sugar-free baked goods, and candy.

Methyl xanthine found in dark chocolate and Baker’s chocolate is highly toxic to dogs and causes symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, an abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and possible fatality.

Xylitol, which is found in sugar-free baked goods and candy, is not harmful to humans; however, its ingestion by dogs and ferrets is dangerous according to the FDA. Either appearing in minutes or several days, xylitol ingestion exhibits signs of illness, which include a possible sudden decrease in blood sugar (hypoglycemia), seizures, and liver failure. Also found in holiday baked goods, raisins (and their hydrated relative, grapes), can cause kidney failure in dogs.

Access to that ham or lamb bone should be off limits for your pet. The larger the piece of bone, the more likely the potential for an injury requiring possible surgery. Many small pieces of bones can pass, which is not always an emergency. If your dog or cat gets hold of a bone, please contact your veterinarian for advice.

Faux, plastic Easter grass is capable of obstructing the passage of food through the intestines if entangled around the tongue or stomach of both cats and dogs, resulting in abdominal surgery to repair severe intestinal tract damage.

According to Chicago Veterinary Medical Association President Richard J. Rossman, “Every holidya season we see many cases of diarrhea and vomiting in our clients’ pets. You can keep your pet healthy and happy by being careful not to let them raid the garbage can or beg for food at the the table. Many times guests will sneak “treats” to your pet…Advise them that your pet can get sick from foods they are not use to eating. That way, you will not have to make an emergency visit to your veterinarian or any of the 24 hour emergency clinics in your neighborhood.”

While many individuals love to surprise family members with pets, a bunny, puppy, or kitten is not a good gift. Sadly, many unwanted bunnies are turned into shelters a few weeks after Easter. Veterinarians recommend holidays are simply not the correct time to give an animal, since a lifetime commitment and responsible ownership are important for many years of enjoyment and the well-being of a pet. If there is a strong desire to introduce a bunny, puppy, or kitten into your family’s home, the best approach is to start with a stuffed animal and learn about proper care.

During this holiday season, if you have any uncertainty about a problem your pet is experiencing, a prompt call to your veterinarian is the best thing. While not all ingestions will be dangerous to your pet, many have the potential to be very serious or even life threatening. The Animal Poison Control Center also provides services for pet owners who call 1-888-426-44351-888-426-4435; however, a fee may apply.

For more information about the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association, please visit www.chicagovma.org.

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The CVMA is an association of over 1000 veterinarians and 4000 support staff who lovingly assist more than one million Chicago area pets and their families.

The membership of the CVMA is dedicated to the health and well-being of animals through its nurturing of the human animal bond. The CVMA will strive to fulfill the diversified needs of its members by providing nationally recognized CE programs, cultivating membership involvement, and offering innovative member services and exemplary public awareness.

Since 1896, the CVMA has continued a proud tradition of providing its members with vital services and programs which have expanded dramatically over a century to meet the ever-changing needs of the veterinary profession and its diverse patients and clients.