Tips To Keep Your Pet Safe At Easter.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Spring has sprung and it's almost time for the Easter bunny to make his rounds. But before you start celebrating, here are five tips for keeping your pet safe and happy this holiday weekend.

1. Pass on Poisonous Plants. Some popular plants—including Easter lilies—are highly toxic to pets and can easily prove fatal if eaten.

2. Resist Pet Purchases. Bunnies, chicks, ducks and other animals are adorable, but resist the urge to buy or adopt a pet on impulse. People often forget that these cute little animals grow up into adult animals who require a commitment to provide daily care for the rest of their lives. Remember bringing any animal, including small animals like rabbits and chicks, into your home places demands on your time and financial resources and should be done only after carefully assessing your family's ability to meet the animal's needs.

3. Ditch the Dangerous Decor. Easter basket decorations, including plastic grass, are dangerous to animals if ingested. The grass can become twisted within a pet's intestines and can be fatal if not caught quickly enough. Often, the only solution is expensive surgery. Candy wrappers, plastic eggs and small toy parts can also pose a danger to critters. Keep your pet out of harm's way by using tissue paper instead of plastic grass and doing a thorough clean-up after Easter celebrations.

4. Give Your Pet Some Peace. Consider your pets when planning family gatherings or parties at home. Loud noises, erratic movements from children and crowds of people can be very stressful for animals. If your pet isn't up for the chaos of an Easter egg hunt or family dinner, put him/her in a quiet area of the house when guests are visiting.

5. Bag the Basket Booty. Keep your pet out of the Easter basket and away from candy, including chocolate. Candy can be harmful to pets, and chocolate is toxic to cats, dogs and ferrets. As many of you pet owners know, animals will eat just about anything that they can find, including Easter treats.

Chocolates and candies that are high in sugar and caffeine are especially bad for our animal companions. Every pet owner should make an effort to keep these foods out of the reach of their furry friends.

Educating children in what is good and bad for the family pet is very important.

For a total list of all the toxic plants go to: http://majordogquestions.blogspot.com/ and type in toxic plants in the search blog box, click search and then scroll to the bottom. The list is too extensive for this blog.