So which Easter egg is top dog for pooches?
THErE have been mince pies and advent calendars for dogs. But just when you thought it was impossible to spoil your pet any more, along come Easter treats for your hound.
yes, from biscuits shaped as bunnies to foil-wrapped eggs, you can now find a whole range of Easter-themed products for your pampered pooch.
Most dog owners will know that their pets can’t eat cocoa, but the eggs are invariably made with an ingredient called carob (another name for locust bean). This is quite similar to cocoa but is not toxic to dogs — and when mixed with sugar and vegetable oil, tastes quite similar to chocolate.
‘chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, both of which can be toxic to our pets, so it’s important to keep it well away from them,’ explains Dr Karlien Heyrman, from Pets At Home. Though its Easter products are all completely safe for dogs to eat, she adds: ‘Just like with any other treat, Easter goodies should be given in moderation as part of your pet’s daily calorie intake and as a reward for good behaviour.’
More families want to include their pet in Easter celebrations, it seems. Sales of the Woofy Easter Egg for dogs at Pets At Home are up 30 per cent so far this year compared with 2022, while a host of independent manufacturers have set up online shops to cater to the craze.
‘I’ve seen plenty of videos of dogs doing Easter egg hunts with their treats,’ says Jane Parry at Pup Treats, one of these shops. ‘ Dog Instagrams are a growing trend, too, so we have aimed to make our treats aesthetically pleasing so they can be snapped and posted across social media channels.’
So, if you have a budding canine Kardashian, or you just want to spoil your pup, which Easter treats are best?
To test them, I roped in my cockapoo, Darcey. But as she gladly eats anything out of a rubbish bin — and worse — I’m not sure she is that discerning. So, I also nibbled a bit of them myself to see which are top dog.
PUP PIONEER
Hatchwells Giant Easter Egg for Dogs (£5.99, petsand friends.co.uk) HATcHWEllS, based in lancashire, has been around for 90 years and is the pioneer of Easter eggs for animals and available in lots of pet shops. They even make one for horses!
At 200g, this is a hefty egg, more suited to a Great Dane than a cockapoo. But it does mean when you break a small bit off, they have something to get their teeth into. Darcey smelled this a mile off and was determined to attack it. A good sign. 4/5