One of our favourite things about Easter is the Easter Egg Hunt! Hiding in the garden dozens of different sized chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies, watching children dash around with delight, playful puppies hot on their heels…..what could go wrong…..
Dogs eating chocolate of course. Chocolate poisoning in dogs is the Australian Animal Poisons Centre’s most common type of phone call around Easter. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs include: restlessness, hyperactivity, elevated heart rate with dangerous arrhythmias, tremors and seizures. It is always safest to prevent dogs eating chocolate.
To keep Easter safer for dogs, why not try a chocolate-free Easter egg hunt? Below are some poison-free ideas of what you can hide in your garden instead. By choosing Easter crafts options, you could keep the kids entertained for hours.
- Non-candy, non-chocolate plastic egg fillers:
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- Stationary: stickers, stamps, novelty eraser, sticker tabs, pencil toppers, key chain, patterned tape
- Toy: small figurine (e.g. little chick, army/parachute men, ballerina, etc), finger puppet, toy car, dinosaur, grow toys, whistle, yo-yo, mini slinky
- Game: marbles, puzzle pieces, lego pieces to make small figure, balloon, magnetic letters (e.g., to spell their name), spinning top
- Coins
- Personal care: hair clip, lip gloss/balm, character band aid (e.g, Disney characters, Pixar characters, etc), novelty shoe laces, socks, badge, collapsible stainless steel straw, beads and thread (to make bracelet)
- Jokes (see below)
- Physical activity: hop like a bunny 10 times, walk like a chicken, keep the balloon up in the air as long as possible
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- Craft options (click the text to see more):
- Bubble and/or juice bunnies
- Jar bunnies: fill with marshmallows, popcorn, jelly beans or jelly lollies. Just cut out the face and ears from the bubble/juice bunnies and glue to the lid of a screw jar. Add some white cotton balls or craft felt balls as feet and a tail, then tie a colourful ribbon around the neck. Fill with treats! Below are some photos of the jar juice bunnies that our chief veterinary officer has made.
- Book or DVD (we love the movie Hop for Easter!)
Easter Jokes
What does the Easter Bunny say when it does a burp?
Eggs-cuse me!
Why shouldn’t you tell an Easter Egg a joke?
Because it might crack up!
Why don’t you see dinosaurs at Easter?
Because they are eggs-tinct!
Why did the Easter Bunny cross the road?
No bunny knows!
How does the Easter Bunny stay fit?
With lots of Eggs-ercise!
Where does the Easter Bunny get his eggs?
From an Egg Plant.
What do you call an Easter Egg from Outer space?
An Egg-stra-terrestrial!
How did the Easter Bunny rate his favourite restaurant?
He said it was Egg-cellent!
How can you tell where the Easter Bunny has been?
Eggs mark the spot!
Why did the Easter Bunny cross the road?
He saw the chicken doing it and thought it looked egg-citing!
Knock knock
Who’s there?
Easter.
Easter who?
Easter Bunny!
Knock knock
Who’s there?
Some Bunny
Some Bunny Who?
Some Bunny’s been eating my Easter Eggs!
Dogs eating chocolate is very common around Easter. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs can be serious. We hope these ideas help to avoid chocolate poisoning in dogs this Easter and still allow your kids to enjoy an epic Easter egg hunt!