Easter warning to pet owners as animal rescuers reveal ‘toxic’ household items to avoid

PET owners have been issued a grave warning about the five toxic household items putting furry friends at risk this Easter.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has revealed the most common reasons it gets poison control call outs at Easter and most of them are hiding in plain sight, especially in spring.

The first is the most common, and that is chocolate. While you might think you are cautious around the product, Easter can pose an extra threat as certain hazards tend to skip our minds.

Easter is usually ASPCA’s busiest day of the year for call outs to pets that have eaten chocolate – topping other holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween, it said.

This surge in chocolate intoxication has been put down to Easter egg hunts that our four-legged friends find before anyone else, and due to unattended Easter baskets.

“Make sure that all candy is out of reach of unsupervised pets,” ASPCA warns.

The next hazard is lilies, which are popular bouquet blooms especially in spring when people enjoy giving and receiving flowers.

These beautiful but deadly plants can be fatal to cats as they can cause acute kidney problems.

“We discourage cat owners from keeping Easter lilies in their homes,” the ASPCA said.

“If you must have them in your home, make sure cats can’t access any part of the plant, including leaves (on the plant or loose), pollen, or the water flowers were stored in—all can be life-threatening.”

Another kind of plant is also a risk to your pets this spring and that is Easter grass.

“The plastic grass found in Easter baskets is appealing to pets but can cause a life-threatening gastrointestinal obstruction that may require surgery to resolve,” the ASPCA warned.

This grass decoration is commonly used in Easter baskets and to decorate tables.

Certain human foods other than chocolate are also a risk to our pets such as onions, garlic, macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins and products containing xylitol.

These are “common toxins that pets ingest” but the group warned that there are non-toxic foods that can still cause serious health problems like pancreatitis.

Lastly, anyone who is preparing to get their yard ready for spring should keep an eye on any herbicides.

“Make sure herbicides are kept where pets can’t chew or puncture the bottle and that the application is dry before letting pets outside,” the ASPCA said.

“Pets are often exposed when they are outside while their owners are spraying these products.”

While not usually life-threatening, exposure to such products will usually mean a costly visit to the vet.