Easter egg hunts can be dangerous for dogs but not if you follow this vet’s tips

Pet owners have been trying their best to keep chocolate well away from their dogs this Easter but there’s one time when this becomes very tricky – the Easter egg hunt.

Chocolate is toxic to dogs who seem to be able to sniff it out and grab it from all sorts of locations making the beloved Easter Sunday tradition a major hazard.

However, there are ways to make it safer, according to PetSure chief veterinary officer Simone Maher who shared her tips with 9honey Pets.

READ MORE: Vet slams dangerous viral TikTok trend hurting pets

Her first tip is to keep on top of the amount of chocolate eggs being placed around the yard. So if you’re sneaking a few yourself while putting them out take note of how many you’ve eaten so you don’t miscount.

“Make sure that you are either counting all of the eggs that go out and counting all of the ones that come back in and that there’s none left in the yard that the dog’s going to fossick up afterwards as well,” she says.

“The key thing is just preventing access.”

READ MORE: Hidden danger for dogs in Easter breakfast treat

It’s also a good idea to keep your dog in a fenced off or secure area of the yard while the hunt is going on or making sure you’ve got them on a leash.

But if the dog is being kept elsewhere Dr Maher advises giving them something to do like a food puzzle toy or a long lasting chew so they’re entertained while the family is hunting.

The 10 most toxic foods for dogs and cats

Pet owners who want to avoid the risk of an Easter egg hunt to their dogs altogether could try an alternative idea.

“You could put something like empty plastic eggs out and then the kids collect those and they exchange for the actual chocolate eggs and that way you’re not risking putting the chocolate eggs out and around the place,” Dr Maher suggests.

READ MORE: Dog’s near-death nibble on gardening product prompts warning

Or for those who either don’t have kids or want to give their dogs the fun of an Easter egg hunt without the dangers of chocolate you could instead hide dog treats around the yard for your pooch to find.

“Dogs get so much stimulation out of using their noses and and looking for things,” she says.

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

While most chocolate toxicity cases are accidental it is hugely important that every step possible is taken to prevent it as it can make dogs seriously ill and if left untreated can lead to death.

Treating chocolate toxicity isn’t cheap either with PetSure claims data for 2024 revealing the average cost to be $535 and the highest amount claimed to be $7,041.

Chocolate is toxic to dogs because it contains compounds called methylxanthines, which in this case are theobromine and caffeine.

READ MORE: The cooling blanket that radically changed my sleep

“The first thing you might notice is vomiting or agitation, restlessness, maybe drinking a lot of water and then from there it progresses depending on how much they’ve eaten, to more serious clinical signs or more serious symptoms such as, tremoring, seizuring, racing heart and abnormal heartbeat,” Dr Maher says.

Even if you only suspect your dog has eaten chocolate call your vet straight away. If they’re not open over the long weekend they will typically have a recorded message advising who else to contact.

”The other option too is telehealth; veterinary telehealth can be really useful over public holidays and those sorts of periods outside of normal clinic hours and if you’re traveling and [if you have pet insurance] you can head to a GapOnly website, and that will list your nearest gap-only vet,” Dr Maher says.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.