Easter is a time to gather with loved ones and feast on delicious seasonal treats, chocolate eggs, hot cross buns, and a tasty Sunday roast. However, it can also prove to be a dangerous time for our furry friends, with many foods associated with the holiday posing a threat to a dog’s health.
This month, Coronation Street highlighted the dangers of currants to dogs when Evelyn Plummer was forced to make the heartbreaking decision to have her loyal Greyhound, Cerberus, put to sleep after the pooch secretly scoffed an Eccles cake in Roy’s Rolls. It’s a tragic but all too common story for many vets, who see the devastating effects of seasonal toxins week in, week out.
Since our pups can’t eat chocolate, or hot cross buns, it’s only fair we offer them a feast of their own this springtime with a tasty lunch instead. To help owners celebrate Easter with their canine companions this April, Lily’s Kitchen have launched a Limited Edition Easter Feast recipe, to enjoy on Easter Sunday.
Complete with a Spring themed green wrapper, the Easter Feast features the Lily’s Kitchen mascot with a seasonal update – the iconic little dog updated with little bunny ears for the limited-time dish. The branding looks very cute, with ‘Easter Feast’ written on the front of the tin in a curly font.
The nutritionally complete meal has been made with 60 per cent freshly prepared lamb, served up with asparagus for added dietary fibre, potatoes for energy, crispy kale packed with protein, manganese and iron and, the ultimate lamb accompaniment – mint – containing added vitamins and minerals.
Grain free and suitable for dogs over four months old, the recipe also features savoy cabbage, minerals and flaxseed – it sounds almost good enough to eat yourself.
Available exclusively online via the Lily’s Kitchen website, the Easter Feast costs £3.70 for a 400g tin. It’s certainly not the cheapest wet food on the market, however, special occasions like Christmas and Easter are a time where a little luxury is completely acceptable. It does work out a bit cheaper to buy the Easter Feast in a pack of six for £20.45, which saves £1.75 compared to buying separately.
Phoebe and Frank usually have around half a tin of wet meat between them on top of their Canagan kibble – although, usually as a treat. This means two tins should last us the whole Bank Holiday weekend, so long as we cover them up with these handy can covers.
The recipe has even been backed by TV vet and Lily’s Kitchen ambassador, Rory the Vet, who has also shared his top tips and advice for keeping your pets safe this Easter.
He said: “Our dogs are part of the family so it’s only natural that we want to include them in our celebrations, and often, we express our love through food and the temptation to give them our leftovers or even making them a plate of their own is overwhelming.
“If you want to make your dog feel included this Easter then I’d suggest treating them to the new limited-edition Easter Feast recipe from Lily’s Kitchen which is made with succulent lamb served up with asparagus for added dietary fibre, delicious fluffy potatoes, kale and mint.
“Obviously, chocolate is a big no-no, but over my years I’ve also seen many dogs who’ve either been fed or secretly scoffed hot cross buns which can be potentially harmful because of the raisins, sultanas and currants which are all toxic to pets. Ingesting them is actually incredibly serious as some pets develop kidney failure after eating them which is often life threatening.
“My biggest bit of advice is to keep all these things well out of reach to avoid any emergency dashes to the vets and enjoy the long weekend with your pets.”
Bound to leave your pooch hopping, skipping and jumping all the way through spring, you can shop the Lily’s Kitchen Easter Feast here.
