Animals

The Easter Bunny & The Chocolate Egg

By Mandy Walters RVN Head Nurse at Damory Vets, Blandford

It’s Easter, and it might seem like a great time to buy an ‘Easter Bunny’. While rabbits make lovely pets it is always important to do your research before getting a new animal to care for.

Your main considerations when deciding whether to take on a pet rabbit should be whether you can provide enough space and suitable housing, the right kind of company (rabbits are very social animals and should be kept in pairs/small groups), the correct diet and suitable healthcare.

It is always an exciting time to get a new pet but it is important that you can commit to being able to care for them lifelong; the current estimate from the PDSA on the cost of owning a rabbit ranges from £6,500 up to as much as £30,000 for their lifetime; they can live up to 10 years.

Choosing the right rabbit for you should be well thought through, and ideally we would always recommend rehoming from a reputable rescue centre. Try Margaret Green Animal Rescue based in Church Knowle here in Dorset.

If you are thinking about getting a rabbit check out the PDSA website for more information on caring for them and recommended suitable housing.

Over Easter the amount of chocolate in your home will most likely be on the rise.

This is great for you...

but not so great for your dogs!

Chocolate contains an ingredient called theobromine; this is hard for dogs to digest, allowing it to build up to toxic levels in their system very quickly.

Different chocolate has different levels of theobromine. Cocoa, cooking chocolate and dark chocolate have the highest levels of theobromine, whereas white and milk chocolate have the lowest. This is why it is very important to know what type of chocolate your pet has eaten so the vet can assess the toxicity correctly.

The amount that is fatal to your pet depends on its size. For example a St Bernard could eat more chocolate than a small dog before it would become ill. A Chihuahua wouldn’t need much at all to make it poorly.

In large doses chocolate can be fatal to dogs.

It can cause seizures, irregular heartbeat, internal bleeding and heart attacks. To try and reduce the risk of your pet getting hold of any chocolate try and keep any chocolate out of reach of your dog, securely stored away from them and sealed.

If your pet has ingested chocolate we advise you to wcall your vet immediately. The usual protocol is to induce vomiting within two hours of the consumption to ensure there is no chocolate left in the dogs system.

RESCUE ANIMALS

Rabbits: no cuddles, more space, never alone... they’re not the pet you probably thought they were.

Rabbits are the third most popular pet in the UK - and probably the most misunderstood. As prey animals they do not like to be picked up and cuddled, which means they are not a good starter pet for young children.

A great deal of consideration should be given to getting rabbits. In contrast to popular perception, they are time consuming and costly to keep in a proper, happy & healthy manner.

They need yearly vaccinating against Myxomatosis, vhd1 and vhd2. They need Spaying or neutering, and regular check ups by a rabbit savvy vet (as not all are). Two unneutered boys will fight when they reach maturity, and unspayed girls are highly susceptible to uterine cancers.

Once you have got your rabbits - plural, as they should never live alone - you have to give them a great deal of space to run and binkie about.

The rabbit welfare society suggests a minimum 6ft hutch, I find a shed is often far better, as it gives more space and better value for money, and is usually better made as well.

Our fluffy friends are

bundles of poop (about 300 a day!).

Hutch hygiene is very important; they need cleaning more than once a week, sometimes everyday, especially in summer when flystrike can be a killer. However it is possible to litter train some rabbits!

The rabbits will also need access to a safe exercise area with lots of enrichment - rabbits are highly intelligent and inquisitive animals, you and your pets will both benefit as the joy they will give you as you watch them is priceless.

There are many places to get rabbits - breeders, pet shops, even free on the internet! However the best place is a rescue, there are thousands of unwanted rabbits in rescues all over the country which will give you advice and support. Rabbits will have been health checked, vaccinated, neutered and sometimes even bonding offered. So don’t support the pet trade... rescue.

© Rob Nolan - RPN photography

Angel Rabbit Rescue is a self funding, non profit rabbit & guinea pig rescue. You can support them by buying items from their Amazon wishlist here, or click the logo to follow them them on Facebook (cue many many adorable rabbit pictures in your daily feed!)