Every season can have potential dangers and toxicity for our pets. According to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the top 4 dangers are chocolate, plastic Easter grass, plants, and pesticides/herbicides.
Here are my top dangers for Easter
1) Chocolate. This is easily MY favorite treat, but there is an ingredient, theobromine, that can be toxic to dogs, depending on their size. Theobromine is a relative of caffeine, and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, up to seizures. Dark chocolate is many time more toxic than milk chocolate, and white chocolate has no theobromine. If your pet eats chocolate, call your vet or the ASPCA Poison Control Center (888) 426-4435) to determine if the quantity is in the dangerous range. One Hershey kiss isn’t going to kill any dog or cat, but a whole Hershey bar can. Be prepared tell the vet amount in ounces of chocolate, the type of chocolate ( dark, baking, or milk), and the weight of your pet. I had a patient many years ago that got into the Easter Candy stash not once, but twice, and had to hospitalized both times. Some dogs just really want chocolate.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_multi_chocolate_toxicity
2) Plastic Easter Grass. It looks edible, but it isn’t, and can cause GI obstruction
3) Easter Lilies. They are beautiful, but deadly for cats, causing kidney failure. Keep them away from cats, but they don’t seem to be toxic for dogs. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/lily
4) Xylitol. This is a common artificial sweetener, found often in sugarless gum, but there is a granulated version that some cooks use a sugar substitute. Symptoms are vomiting, seizures, low blood sugar, and liver failure.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/endocrine/c_dg_xylitol_toxicity
5) Candy wrappers, esp foil. Like the Easter Grass, they can really mess up a gut.
6) High Fat People Food like Ham, or Brisket. High fat can cause inflammation of the pancreas, with intense vomiting and diarrhea. I would not feed a cooked pork bone to dogs.
https://www.aspca.org/news/top-four-easter-hazards-pets
Tag: chocolate
#46 Valentine’s Day Doggie Treats
So you want to celebrate this holiday with your best 4 legged friend. But you know that chocolate is “bad” for dogs and cats. Actually, it is the theobromine and fats in chocolate that are bad, toxicity is dose dependent, and dark chocolate is loaded with more theobromine than milk chocolate. So the dose is relative to the size of the dog and the darkness of the chocolate. I have seen large dogs accidentally eat a large amount of chocolate and still be OK. I have seen a basset hound eat a whole big heart shaped box of assorted chocolates, and get a raging case of pancreatitis from the fat ingested that require hospitalization. I have seen a tiny 10 # dachshund eat a 12 oz bar Hershey bar (a potentially toxic dose)and we needed to induce vomiting. But if your dog eats a few M&Ms, it probably isn’t an issue.
That said, it is still safer to make some dog and cat friendly non-chocolate Valentine treats. Here are some recipes.
Carob Doggie Delights- from Dogington Post
Making homemade dog treats is a fun way to let your canine companions know they are your special valentines.
Carob Doggie Delights
1 1/2 Cups Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/4 Cup Carob Powder
1 Tablespoon ground Flax Seed (Optional)
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Honey
Instructions:
In a small bowl combine the wheat flour, rolled oats, carob, flax seed, and baking powder. Set aside. In a separate bowl beat together the egg, water, and honey. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well blended and forms a stiff dough.
Place on floured surface and roll to desired thickness. Cut into heart shapes. Bake at 300 degrees. If rolled to 3/8″ baking time is 30 minutes to 35 minutes.
Tip: Make these valentine dog treats something really special by drizzling with carob. Melt carob chips in the microwave or double boiler and drizzle over treats.
Tuna Catnip Kitty Treats from Joy the Baker.com
1 (5 ounce) can tuna, no salt added and packed in water, drained
1 cup oat flour*
1 large egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon dried catnip
*It’s easy to make your own oat flour. Simply grind old-fashioned oats in a spice grinder (or a super clean coffee grinder) until it is transformed into a light powder. There you have it — oat flour!
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, combine drained tuna, oat flour, egg, olive oil and catnip. Blend until mixture is smooth. It will be thick but pliable and not terribly sticky.
Roll dough into 1/2 teaspoon balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Use a skewer to press an X-shape into each cookie ball.
Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until they are dried on top and slightly browned. Allow to cool completely before offering to your kitty.
Place treats in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
https://www.rover.com/blog/homemade-valentine-dog-treats/
http://www.dogingtonpost.com/valentines-day-dog-treat-recipes/
http://joythebaker.com/2014/01/tuna-catnip-kitty-treats/