Easter Time – Safety Time

It’s that time of year again as children across Australia wait in anticipation of the wonderful chocolatey delights the Easter bunny will bring.

“Easter is a great celebration of family and friends, however, it’s also around this time of year we see an increase in poisoning that effects our pets,” Nadia Crighton from Pet Insurance Australia says.

Having an emergency situation during the holidays is no fun for anyone, particularly the household pet.

“Chocolate is highly toxic to dogs,” Crighton says. “Plus, being natural scavengers, they can sniff out these delights even if well hidden.”

In 2017 over 1000 pet treatment claims for Theobromine/Chocolate poisoning were processed by our Claims Administrator, PetSure.

“The actual figures could be much higher as this number only relates to those Australian dog and cat owners that have pet insurance,” Crighton says. “The danger of chocolate is being severely underestimated by unsuspecting owners.”

If you so suspect your pet has ingested chocolate, it’s important you seek veterinary treatment quickly. Dogs will also tend to ingest the entire box, including the wrappers, plastic and ribbon.

“All of this can wreak havoc on their systems and cause your pet to become very ill.”

But why is Chocolate so very bad for our pets?

“It is made from roasting the seeds of the Theobroma Cacao, which contain two toxic properties for animals; caffeine and theobromine,” Crighton continues. “Ingesting these properties can be fatal for a companion animal.”

TOP FIVE TOXIC CLAIMS

• Chocolate
• Toxin Exposure
• Rodenticide
• Grapes/Raisins
• Ibuprofen

“Chocolate poisoning is the most common form of claimed toxicity in Australia, so it’s very important that the message is out loud and clear about this dangerous and common issue.”

It’s also good to remember that the common Easter flower lilies is highly toxic to cats.

“Particularly cheeky little kittens who may curiously have a munch so always keep your flowers out of reach for your cats.”

COMMON EASTER COMPLAINTS;

• Chocolate poisoning
• Foreign Object removal
• Poisoning / Lilies

Nadia Crighton

Nadia Crighton is a renowned and accomplished professional in the fields of Journalism, Public Relations, and Writing, with an extensive career spanning over 25 years, 20 of which have been dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of pets.

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