With Easter around the corner, this is the perfect season to stock up your cupboard with snacks, bunny-shaped biscuits, and treat-filled eggs. Like kids, dogs enjoy searching for hidden goodies in the house, yard, or park, and with their strong sense of smell, they are especially good at Easter “treasure hunting.” But make sure that their Easter bunny chocolate is of the dog safe variety.
An Easter egg hunt is one of the favoured activities that you can do for family fun which can include your furry friends. As chocolate is toxic for dogs, why not create a dog Easter egg hunt specifically for your pooch?
This article gives you tips on what dog treats you should include, what to avoid, and remedies you can use if your dog eats chocolate.
What are dog Easter eggs made from?
Although dogs often eat anything on sight, it’s important as their owners to understand what is safe to give your dog and what you need to avoid.
Chocolate Easter eggs for dogs are usually made from carob which is a leathery pod with a sweet pulp. It is similar to chocolate but does not contain any theobromine which is toxic to dogs, or caffeine which can also be harmful when consumed in large quantities.
Oval in shape, Easter eggs for dogs also tend to be free from gluten, wheat, and cocoa and often contain treats or plastic toys inside. These types of Easter eggs are safe for both puppies and dogs to consume and can be turned into a fun game for them to play.
One way dog owners try to encourage their pets to stay out of mischief is to simply hide food around the house. After all, dogs love to work for their food. This is often called ‘Learn to Earn’ and dials into their natural instincts to hunt for food. It gets them moving physically, grows their confidence but also engages their brain.
Before you scatter the eggs, we suggest that you start easy by placing the first egg in front of your furry friend first and letting them enjoy the treats inside. Once they have got the hang of it, you can up your hide and seek game.
Toy eggs
Toy eggs usually come in multiple colours and are easy to find this Easter season. However, since most dogs see in shades of blue and yellow, it’s crucial to draw stripes or dots when using other colours. A red plastic egg, for instance, will be hard to see. If you want to know more about the colors your dog can see, check out our blog – Are Cavapoo dogs color blind?
Most toy plastic eggs have a hard outer shell that makes them look like real eggs. You can put smelly treats such as cheese and small chicken pieces into the toy plastic eggs for your dog to find for some added easter fun. Ensure you have enough eggs and treats, especially when multiple dogs participate.
You can drill a small hole in the plastic eggs to leak the scent of the hidden treats and give them the added challenge of trying to break into them.
Dog chocolate eggs
Dog chocolate eggs are dog-friendly alternatives to the human variety, and can be purchased from your local pet store. Most of them are hollow inside to allow you to fill with dog treats and can be used as part of an Easter hunt or a problem solving game.
Dog chocolate contains carob, which can be broken down into small sizes and used as a treat or as part of a balanced diet.
Plastic egg alternatives
You can use boiled eggs instead of plastic for your Easter hunt. They contain calcium and vitamins, which help form strong bones and teeth. You can colour them with a non-toxic dye to make them look attractive.
Our top picks
Choosing the ideal Easter eggs for your dog can be pretty challenging, especially with such a wide range of options available. You need to make the right decisions to ensure your canine companions have fun.
Here are our top picks on Easter eggs that you can buy to put treats inside for your dog.
Midlee Hide a Toy Easter Basket
This soft Easter basket contains 3 attractive small toys (a bunny, carrot and egg), each with a squeak for optimum enjoyment.
The great thing about the Midlee Hide a Toy Easter basket is that it will not only keep your dog busy burying its nose to fish the toys out, but it can also be filled with dog friendly treats.
Lepawit Easter Egg Toys
Not 1 but 2 brightly colored stuffed eggs with squeakers and rabbit ears too! Your dog will be jumping for joy with this duo pack of eggs.
The Lepawit Easter Egg Toys makes an excellent gift for your Easter egg hunt as the 2 brightly coloured stuffed eggs help stimulate your dog’s brain activity, keeping them engaged, and giving them the desire to continue playing.
What is great about this set is that they come in different sizes, which means there will be a perfect pack for dogs of all sizes.
ZippyPaws Easter Egg and Friends Interactive Dog Toy
The ZippyPaws Holiday Burrow provide hours of fun with interactive toys burrowed into the egg for your dog to find.
Made from soft, high-quality fabric that will not damage your pup’s teeth this puzzle encourages your dog to engage in a challenging game. Beautifully designed it is perfect for dogs big and small.
Peeps For Pets Vinyl Bunny Toys
This is probably my favorite Easter toy as they are great for entertaining your dog. These 3 attractive bunny toys come in blue, pink and yellow and squeak when squeezed for hours of fun.
Made from high-quality materials they can be tossed around for a great game of fetch, pounced on and even cuddled.
FAQs
Can we give chocolate to dogs?
You should not give your canine friend chocolate. It’s toxic to dogs since it contains theobromine and caffeine content. The metabolism of these two is relatively slower in dogs compared to humans. After eating candy, these compounds build up in their system, causing serious health problems. To understand more why chocolate is dangerous for your dog please see our blog ‘Can my Cavapoo eat chocolate?’.
How fatal is chocolate to dogs?
Dogs are sensitive to chemicals such as caffeine and theobromine. At times, candy ingestion can be fatal and cause serious clinical complications and health symptoms such as excessive urination, increased heart rate, restlessness, diarrhoea, and vomiting. In severe cases it can result in heart failure, muscle tremors, seizures and even death.
Does doggy chocolate melt?
Dog chocolate melts at a slower rate than real chocolate. If you want to melt your doggy chocolate, then to speed up the process and maintain a smooth consistency, add a few drops of canola oil. Carob is non-toxic and has a sweet flavour, so when your dog bites into it they will be drooling.
What do vets do when a dog eats chocolate?
Dogs are scavengers by nature which means they have a tendency to eat anything within their reach including tasty candy bars.
If you suspect your dog has eaten chocolate then you should contact your vet immediately as treatment will vary depending on the symptoms they are displaying.
Your vet will probably want to hospitalize your dog in order to monitor their condition. Ideally they will want to empty the contents of your dogs stomach as quickly as possible. This may be followed by intravenous therapy and anti-seizure and anti-diarrhoea medication.
Your vet will keep a close eye on your dog to ensure that the severity of chocolate toxicity is not fatal, therefore hospitalization can last anywhere between a couple of hours to several days.
Why do dogs love chocolate?
There are two main reasons why dogs love candy:
– First, all dog breeds love sticky, tasty foods and are always looking for a sweet treat.
– Second, dogs are easily attracted to what their owners love. Since they watch our body language, they will whine when they see that either you or a child in the house are enjoying a delicious treat.
How do you reverse chocolate poisoning in dogs?
Reversing chocolate poisoning differs depending on the type of chocolate (dark or white) and the amount eaten. If detected early enough, decontamination can be done by administering activated charcoal and inducing vomiting. This helps prevent the absorption and recirculation of theobromine into the body.
Conclusion
Kids aren’t the only ones who enjoy searching for hidden goodies. A dog easter egg hunt which includes interactive toy eggs can help keep your dog engaged for hours!
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