Easter is one of the busiest times of year for our emergency vet teams. Longer days, more time outdoors, seasonal food, flowers, decorations and disrupted routines all drive a predictable rise in serious cases across the Bank Holiday weekend.
We reviewed cases seen across our six clinics every Easter and identified the ten emergencies we treat most often. Many of them are entirely preventable. We’re sharing this now, before the weekend begins, so that pet owners can recognise the risks early – and hopefully avoid a trip to us altogether.
Toxin Exposure – Plants, Spring Flowers and Outdoor Hazards
Lilies top the list for cats. Many lily species cause acute kidney failure in cats, and even tiny exposures can lead to a serious medical emergency. A cat licking pollen from its fur after brushing against a lily can trigger a fatal reaction. If you have cats, do not bring lilies into your home. Treat any sign of illness as an emergency and call your vet immediately
Dracaena plants are another frequent offender — popular as gifts at this time of year, and toxic to cats. Dogs spending more unsupervised time in the garden over Easter also encounter more hazards, from toxic spring bulbs to unfamiliar plants that trigger allergic reactions or hypersalivation.
Foreign Body Ingestion – Wrapping, String, Decorations and Toy Parts
Easter fills homes with ribbon, foil, wrapping paper, toy parts and decorations, all of which curious dogs and cats are prone to investigate and sometimes swallow. Items like string and ribbon are particularly dangerous. They can anchor in the gut and cause the bowel to bunch or perforate, which requires emergency surgery.
Watch for repeated vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy or abdominal pain. If you know your pet has swallowed something, do not wait to see whether it passes, contact us straight away. Delays with foreign body cases often lead to more complex surgery and worse outcomes.
Trauma – Dog Attacks, Cat Fights and Injuries
More time outdoors means more encounters with other animals and more opportunities for injury. Over Easter we see a consistent rise in dog attacks on cats, cat fights, and walk-related injuries, including stick injuries, which are more common and more serious than most owners realise. When a dog runs onto a thrown stick or falls while carrying one, it can cause deep wounds to the throat and neck that may look minor on the surface but involve serious underlying damage. We strongly advise against throwing sticks for dogs.
Bite wounds from fights also need prompt attention, even when they appear small. Puncture wounds are almost always contaminated, infection develops quickly, and internal injuries are not always visible. If your pet has been in a fight or accident, get them checked, never assume that because they are moving normally, they are uninjured.
Pancreatitis – Scraps, Leftovers and Bones
Rich food and table scraps are a reliable trigger for pancreatitis in dogs, and Easter is full of both. Symptoms like severe abdominal pain, vomiting and lethargy often appear 24 to 72 hours after the trigger, so a dog given scraps on Easter Sunday may not become ill until a few days later. Cooked bones compound the risk further, splintering and causing lacerations or obstructions in the gut.
Pancreatitis is extremely painful and can be life-threatening. If your dog has eaten fatty food and develops vomiting or signs of abdominal discomfort within 72 hours, seek veterinary advice promptly.
The simplest prevention is straightforward: stick to your pet’s normal diet throughout the weekend. No scraps, no leftovers and no well-meaning offerings from guests.
Breathing Difficulties
Breathing difficulties arise for several reasons over Easter – airway obstruction from a swallowed foreign body, a severe allergic reaction, aspiration following vomiting, or underlying heart and lung conditions worsened by stress. Whatever the cause, breathing problems are always an immediate emergency.
Look for a faster-than-normal breathing rate at rest, visible effort when breathing, open-mouth breathing in cats, abnormal sounds, or pale and bluish gums. Keep your pet calm, avoid restricting the chest, and get to us as quickly as you can. Call ahead if possible so our team is ready on arrival.
Slug Bait Pellet Intoxication
As gardens come back to life, slug pellet use peaks. Metaldehyde, the active ingredient in many traditional pellets,has an attractive smell and taste that draws dogs and cats to it, and even a small quantity causes rapid, serious illness: muscle tremors, incoordination, excessive drooling, raised body temperature and, in severe cases, uncontrolled seizures.
Switch to a ferric phosphate-based alternative if you can. It is far safer for pets and for wildlife. Store all garden chemicals securely, keep pets away from treated areas, and if you suspect your pet has eaten any slug bait, call us immediately. Do not wait for symptoms.
Whelping Difficulties
Easter falls within a common whelping period, and we see emergency admissions related to difficult labours every year over the Bank Holiday weekend. If your dog is due around Easter, plan ahead. Many practices will run reduced hours across the four days.
Seek help if she strains actively for more than 30 to 60 minutes without producing a puppy, if more than two to four hours pass between puppies, or if she appears exhausted or in distress. Uterine inertia and obstructive dystocia are emergencies for mother and puppies alike. Our clinics run full teams throughout Easter – call us without delay if you have any concerns.
Insect Bites and Stings
More outdoor time means more encounters with bees, wasps and other insects. Most stings cause localised swelling and pain that resolves quickly. Some animals, however, develop anaphylaxis – a severe allergic reaction that can escalate within minutes. Signs include sudden facial swelling, difficulty breathing, vomiting, collapse and pale gums. Dogs that investigate insects with their mouths are at particular risk.
Monitor your pet closely for the first hour after any sting. If you see swelling around the mouth or throat, or any sign of collapse, bring them to us immediately. If a bee sting is visible, scrape it sideways to remove it, but do not delay getting to the vet in order to do so.
Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV / Bloat)
GDV is a genuine surgical emergency, most common in large deep-chested breeds such as Great Danes, German Shepherds and Weimaraners. The stomach fills with gas, twists on itself, cuts off its own blood supply, and without urgent surgery the condition is fatal. Easter creates several conditions that raise the risk: changes in routine, excitement, and the possibility of dogs eating quickly or consuming more than usual.
Symptoms develop fast. They include a visibly bloated abdomen, repeated unproductive retching, extreme restlessness and rapid deterioration into collapse. If you see these signs, treat it as an emergency and come to us immediately. GDV can be fatal within hours.
Seizures
Seizures feature in our top ten every Easter, often triggered by toxin ingestion, missed medication in dogs with known epilepsy, or as a consequence of trauma. During a seizure, keep calm, do not restrain your pet or put your hands near their mouth, move hazards away from them, and time how long it lasts.
Seek emergency care for any first-ever seizure, a seizure lasting longer than five minutes, or a cluster of seizures in quick succession. After the seizure, pets typically pass through a disoriented post-ictal phase this is normal, but it does not mean the episode can be managed at home without investigation.
Chocolate Toxicity – Not Just a Risk for Dogs
Easter brings more chocolate into homes than almost any other time of year, and pets finding it is the emergency we treat most often over the Bank Holiday weekend. Dogs are the most frequent culprits, but cats are not immune.
The danger comes from theobromine, a stimulant that dogs and cats cannot process the way humans do. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are the most dangerous; cooking chocolate should always be treated as a serious emergency. Milk chocolate carries a lower but still significant risk. Symptoms typically appear within two to four hours. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, restlessness, tremors and rapid breathing which can progress to seizures and collapse.
If your pet has eaten any chocolate, do not wait to see how they develop. Contact your vet or our emergency line immediately.
When to Seek Emergency Help
If something does not seem right with your pet, act on it. Early assessment saves lives, reduces suffering and almost always reduces the cost of treatment. We would always rather you called us and were reassured than waited at home hoping things would improve.
Breathing problems, seizures, collapse, repeated vomiting, known toxin ingestion, inability to urinate – these all need emergency attention. Call us straight away.
We’re Here Throughout Easter – 24 Hours a Day
Our six emergency clinics across London, Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Lincolnshire and Thanet are open every hour of every day throughout the Easter Bank Holiday weekend – Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. No appointment or registration needed.
Call us on 020 3143 0999 at any time, or visit our locations page to find your nearest clinic. From all of us at 24 Hour Vetcare, we hope you and your pets have a safe and happy Easter.
