This puppy is ready for Easter!
If you have a Morkie or other toy dog, it’s important to keep an eye on him during a busy holiday weekend. Easter weekend typically has its own dangers, including these Top Five.
If your dog eats any of these things, contact a Veterinarian or Emergency Vet Clinic right away. Your dog’s like may depend on it!
Top 5 Holiday Hazards
- Fake Easter “grass”
- Chocolate
- Amaryllis flower
- Pork Roast or Ham
- Running Away
More on each…
1. Fake Easter “grass”
This fake grass found in Easter baskets can be a real threat to your dog because it’s attractive to them and to cats.
Pets can choke on it and if they eat it, there’s a strong chance it could obstruct intestines. Or at the very least cause several days of painful irritation and diarrhea. Sometimes surgery is needed to clear the blockage caused by the fake grass.
2. Chocolate – especially dark chocolate
Dog owners know that chocolate is poisonous for dogs, but do you know just how poisonous? According to the Veterinary Poisons Information Centre in the U.K., a small dog can die after eating a single chocolate Easter egg!
A single chocolate egg is enough to kill your small dog!
The culprit is the chemical in chocolate called theobromine. For people, it’s a nice little buzz, but dogs can’t process it well and it can set off vomiting and diarrhea, followed by hyperactivity, shaking, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, seizures, respiratory failure, and cardiac arrest. In other words, death.
How much is too much? The smaller the dog the greater the impact. And, the darker the chocolate the worse it is. Just half of one square of Baker’s Chocolate, for example, could kill a small dog like a Morkie!
There’s a very handy toxicity meter here at PetMD:
The petMD Chocolate Toxicity Meter will let you know how much theobromine and caffeine your dog has consumed and the symptoms that may follow.
3. Amaryllis Plants
Amaryllis plants are poisonous to dogs.
These unusual flowering plants are common at Easter and Christmas. They grow from a single bulb into one giant flower on top of the very long stem.
Though all parts of the plant are toxic, the bulb — often exposed in these plants — is the most dangerous part for your dog.
Symptoms include vomiting, drooling, and abdominal pain. In some cases they may even develop a sudden drop in blood pressure or breathing problems.
What about the Easter lily? It’s only truly poisonous to cats but it can be deadly for them, causing acute kidney failure.
4. Pork Roast and Ham
These typical Easter treats are very fatty which can cause problems in small dogs, especially those who are already obese. The amount of fat can cause digestive upsets, and chronic pancreatitis (more on that at PetHealthNetwork)
Other dangers? The twine on these meets, the extremely high salt in ham, and the ‘rind’ or tougher skin on ham which can lodge in your dog’s intestines.
5. Running away and other holiday hazards
Let’s face it, the holidays can be a stressful and busy time for us, so imagine how your dog feels! Lots of extra cooking, decorations, chocolates, candles and scented seasonal plants.
Gone baby gone! Dogs can easily slip out during all the confusion of guests coming and going.
As guests come and go, a dog can quickly dash out the door and run away before anyone notices. He could be gone for a number of hours before his absence is discovered. Don’t assume your partner or someone else is watching the dog; be explicit about who’s in charge and plan ahead for the dog’s needs like meals and walks.
If you have Morkie, the stress and off-schedule mealtimes can lead to hypoglycaemic (low blood sugar) shock, so keep his meals on time.
During the commotion of the holidays, dogs and children generally have less supervision than they need, so can get injured when they’re underfoot in a busy kitchen.
So how do you protect your dog, short of cancelling holidays altogether?
First, try your best to stick to the dog’s routine, especially regular walks. An exercised dog is a better behaved dog all round, so grab a walk whenever you can. The bonus – it will help reduce your own stress levels too.
You may want to remove your dog from the party central action if things get too hectic. A quiet room or his crate, is a far better solution than a stressed-out dog.
Do you know enough about the special characteristics and qualities of your Morkie? Check out the Morkie Mega Guide – an ebook available for instant download with EVERYTHING you need to know to raise a happy healthy Morkie.