Along with warmer weather, beautiful blossoms, and longer days, Easter weekend tends to be one of the highlights of spring. This holiday means different things for different people, but in almost all cases, it’s centered around spending time with your family. 

For those with pets as part of the family, ensuring their well-being is absolutely essential. And despite the many fun, amazing things about Easter weekend, it’s important to be aware of a few tips to ensure your pets have just as good a time. 

So how do you sidestep Easter hazards for pets? What challenges might you face, and how can you proactively prepare your household to ensure a safe, calm, and relaxing weekend for the whole family? Here are 5 tips for an enjoyable Easter weekend with your pet. 

1. Be Aware of Human Food

With human holidays comes human food. Whether you’re hosting a big party or simply enjoying a home cooked meal with the family, it’s important to be very aware of the food you’re bringing into your home and to ensure it’s safely out of reach of your pet. 

Depending on the type of food and whether you have a cat, dog, or rabbit, you could face simpler hazards like upset stomachs or diarrhea, or potentially more serious problems with food that animals can’t tolerate. Be especially aware of cooked bird bones (they can shatter when chewed), onions and garlic, grapes and raisins, and any fruits with pits.

2. Be Careful with Easter Treats

For many families, Easter weekend wouldn’t be complete without some tasty treats—especially chocolate, jellybeans, and other candy. While these are great treats for people, it’s very important that you keep them safely out of reach from cats and dogs to ensure a safe weekend for everyone. 

Chocolate is toxic to pets if they eat large enough amounts, while many candies contain the artificial sweetener xylitol, which is a hazard to pets as well. Even the shiny and colourful wrappers can be a danger if they’re not disposed of properly. For your pet’s sake, it’s best to keep any human Easter treats well out of reach to ensure they don’t get into anything they shouldn’t. 

3. Safely Include Your Pets in Easter Activities

Easter isn’t just about keeping pets away from the fun. We also recommend finding ways to safely include your pets in the festivities. If you have a dog, for instance, you could have them do a little Easter treat hunt of their own. Provided your dog is scent-trained, you can give them a sniff of a favourite treat and turn them loose to find others hidden around the home. Just be sure that you don’t let them near any regular Easter egg hunts.

For other pets, there are still ways to keep them involved in the family fun. If your pet doesn’t mind wearing something like bunny ears, you could try dressing them up for the occasion; keep in mind that not all pets like this idea so don’t force them if they don’t want to wear the costume! 

You could also try including them in a family photoshoot, or simply take advantage of the day off to try a new walk or a new game. 

4. Think About Your Pet’s Stress Levels When Hosting

Planning to host an event this Easter weekend? Keep your pet and their stress levels in mind when creating your plan. Depending on their temperament, some cats, dogs, and rabbits may find it stressful when too many new people are hanging out in their home. This can lead to your pet hiding out somewhere in the house, or possibly even sneaking out when no one is looking. 

In order to keep your pets comfortable while hosting, we recommend you set them up in a quiet part of the home with food, water, litter (if applicable), favourite toys and blankets, and a warm, cozy place to sleep. This should be somewhere that most guests won’t be going by, ensuring your pet can relax and enjoy the holiday undisturbed. 

5. Work with a Trusted Veterinary Clinic

Lastly, one of the best ways to ensure the health, safety, and comfort of your beloved pet is to work with a qualified veterinarian. While these tips are great broad strokes for pet owners looking to make Easter easier on their animals, it can be tough to give more specific advice without having worked with your pet before. 

By consistently visiting the same veterinary office, your vet team will begin to learn more about your pet. This ensures they can provide the best, most useful advice for situations such as this, providing you with the support you need to make this your pet’s best Easter yet.

 

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