Sharing is caring but when it comes to your favorite treats, it's better to be selfish with your pets.
Chocolate and lollies are arguably an essential part of the Easter period but the SPCA is urging pet owners to watch pets around food as many snacks people enjoy are harmful to pets.
SPCA's chief executive Andrea Midgen said pets were inquisitive by nature and would search out unusual scents and owners needed to be extra vigilant this long weekend.
"Most people know chocolate is dangerous for dogs, but there is actually an array of popular food ingredients that your pets' bodies are simply not designed to eat," she said.
The SPCA released a statement which said dogs and cats digested and metabolised food differently to humans and needed to be watched carefully so to not eat human food.
Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine which are toxic to dogs when eaten in large quantities.
As a rule of thumb, the darker the chocolate, the more toxic it will be for a dog.
Treats wrapped in tin foil are also dangerous for as it could cause an intestinal obstruction or bleeding.
To include your dog in Easter festivities, treat them to appropriate new foods.
Safe foods for dogs included kūmara, banana, pumpkin, carrot, cabbage, brown rice, quinoa, peas, broccoli, and cooked potatoes.
It is advised to only give these in small amounts to avoid upset stomachs and check with vets beforehand if your dog suffers from a health condition such as diabetes.
The SPCA also recommended giving pets their normal daily meals in a treat dispenser or puzzle feeder to add some fun.
If you think your pet has eaten something dangerous you should call your
local vet clinic immediately.
10 foods unsafe for pets
-Grapes and raisins: can be deadly to cats and dogs. Symptoms include lethargy, excessive thirst, vomiting and, in serious cases, acute kidney failure and death.
-Alcohol and caffeine: toxic for pets.
-Avocados: can causes a range in symptoms from vomiting and diarrhoea to
cardiac arrest and death. Birds are particularly sensitive to but no pets should be fed avocados.
-Chocolate: can cause seizures, vomiting and diarrhoea, and in some cases death.
-Macadamia nuts: can cause vomiting, weakness, and tremors if eaten by dogs.
-Onions and chives: can damage red blood cells and cause anaemia
-Peaches, plums, persimmons and apple pips contain a substance that degrades to cyanide.
-Xylitol – a common ingredient in sugarless treats gum
-Sweet-corn cobs can cause blockages in the small intestine of dogs