This week, Veterinary Surgeon Jenny Brown focuses on Easter:

Easter is a wonderful time of the year - Spring is coming, the flowers are beginning to bloom, and there’s an abundance of chocolate! It’s important however to keep in mind that some of the things we enjoy the most can be dangerous.

Flowers:

• While flowers may look very pretty, they can in fact cause a lot of damage to our pets. Particular flowers to be careful with include lilies and daffodils.

• Easter lilies are often given as presents but every part of a lily is poisonous to cats and causes severe kidney damage. Signs to look out for include vomiting, diarrhoea, extreme thirst and seizures.

• Daffodils are plentiful at this time of year but are toxic to dogs. Signs to watch out for include vomiting and lethargy.

• If you choose to have flowers in the house this time of year, make sure your pet cannot eat any part of them or even drink the water they have been in. If you have cats, avoid having lilies in the house altogether just to be on the safe side!

Chocolate:

• Chocolate is in abundance at Easter time and is very dangerous for dogs if ingested. It contains a chemical called theobromine which causes symptoms such as vomiting, seizures, muscle stiffness and tremors. These signs can take between 4 and 24 hours to appear.

• Lots of other ingredients found in chocolate can be dangerous to our pets as well, such as raisins and coffee beans.

Xylitol:

• Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar replacement in chewing gum and other sweets that we eat. It is also a common ingredient in peanut butter so be sure to check the ingredients before filling up your dog’s Kong!

• While harmless to humans is it very dangerous to dogs and causes severe liver damage and low glucose levels which can lead to seizures and even death.

If you suspect your pet could have potentially eaten any of the items mentioned above, the best advice is to get them to a vet to have them checked over as soon as possible, especially if they are showing any of the above symptoms.

Send questions to bracken@activevetcare.co.uk or visit activevetcare.co.uk/our-practices/bracknell for more information.