7 tips for a fun and safe Easter with your pet Posted on April 8, 2020 The Easter long weekend is just around the corner! While pets and pet owners will be spending it in a very unique, isolated way, we hope it will still be a fun and relaxing time. Below, we’ve pulled together a collection of seven tips to help you, your family and your pets have the safest and funnest break possible. Take your dog on a new walk When we take our dogs out for a walk, we usually have take a favourite route or a path that’s familiar and easy. Over the weekend, why not challenge you and your four-legged buddy to a new adventure? Venture to a park you’ve never visited or take some new twists and turns around the neighbourhood. We bet your dog is going to relish the opportunity to see some new sights and smell some new smells. Of course, make sure you stay responsible and follow state government guidelines around social distancing and exercising close to home. But have fun! Think of your pets when you go shopping Food for Easter lunch? Check. Chocolate bunnies for the family? Check. Now how about adding a treat for your pet on that list? That way, they can enjoy a delicious and enriching Easter feast just like you and your human family members get to. It will also prevent them from sitting at your feet and begging for that roast – actually, scrap that, they’ll probably still do that anyway! Don’t leave chocolate, lollies or wrappers lying around You’re a responsible pet owner, so you’re probably well aware of the dangers sweets pose to our animals, but here’s a refresher anyway. Methylxanthines, which are present in chocolate and include agents like caffeine and theobromine, are extremely toxic to dogs and cats. Ingestion of chocolate can result in vomiting, diarrhoea, hyperactivity, seizures, increased heart rate and potentially death. Xylitol, a sugar substitute found in certain lollies and other sweet goods, is another extremely dangerous ingredient to be mindful of. In addition, hot cross buns shouldn’t be fed to your pets as they contain raisins, which are potentially harmful. If you’re planning on doing an Easter egg hunt, try and completely separate your pet from the fun. You should also write down each place you’ve left the chocolate or lollies so there’s none forgotten and lurking around for your pet to get their paws on. Make sure your kids are aware that they can’t give these foods to your pets too! Sign up to Million Paws Walk: Walk This May Have you heard about our exciting new fundraising initiative? Sign up to Million Paws Walk: Walk This May and track your steps to raise money for RSPCA NSW. While we’re all doing our bit to stay home as much as possible, our dogs still need to be walked. With Walk This May, you can get in yours and your dog’s much-needed exercise while logging steps for animals in need. Find out more here. Watch a Disney movie We rounded up our faves – all starring animals, of course – in an earlier blog post. Click here to browse them all. Get creative with DIY enrichment For some easy bunny enrichment, you can chuck some hay and herbs into a box for your rabbit to forage and sniff around. See the above picture from Animania for an example. We also rounded up the best dog DIY enrichment activities on another post here. Plus, here’s a super cute video about making your own kitten cubby. Teach your pet a new trick Check out Tanya’s training tips for an entertaining and informative guide to some basic training techniques.
