Celebrating Thanksgiving Day with your pets
Thanksgiving is a time of family, food and good times and if you want to include your furry family member in your Thanksgiving Day celebration, there are plenty of traditional Thanksgiving foods that are safe to share to create a festive meal for special four-legged companion.
Talkin’ Turkey: Turkey makes a great alternative to dog treats when served in small quantities. Just be sure to stick with white meat and remove any excess skin or fat and make sure there are no bones.
Sweet tater delight: A yummy treat that is a good source of B vitamins, vitamin A and fiber. Sweet potatoes have become popular in foods for canine’s across the country.
Mash em’ up! Potatoes are a filling vegetable to share. But while the potatoes themselves are not harmful to pets, be aware of additional ingredients used to make mashed potatoes. Cheese, sour cream, butter, onions, and gravies are no-no’s in a pet’s diet.
Cranberries – Yum! Cranberries are safe for dogs and contain a lot of healthy antioxidants. Just be careful of the amount of sugar in cranberry sauce and only give a small helping. If the cranberry sauce is sugar free and contains xylitol, do not give to your pets as xylitol can be deadly.
Giving greens: Plain green beans are a wonderful treat for pets. They are low-calorie, high fiber snack that helps fill your dog’s belly.
Bring on the pumpkin: Just no pie for the pups. While pumpkin is great for the canine digestive system and is often recommended by veterinarians for dogs, pumpkin pie isn’t a good treat for your pet. So set aside some pumpkin or share a little of pure pumpkin from a can.
While you can serve a special Thanksgiving dinner to your pets, there are some holiday treats that need to be avoided.
No to the dough: Yeast dough can cause problems for pets, including painful gas and potentially dangerous and deadly bloating.
No sharin’ the sweets: Chocolate is a well known off-limits for pets, and the artificial sweetener xylitol, that is found in candies and baked goods, is even more so as it can be deadly if consumed by dogs or cats.
Grapes and raisins – oh no! Grapes,and raisins can be toxic to pets. The fruit has been shown to cause kidney failure in cats and dogs.
Beware of alcohol: What we may consider a small amount of alcohol, can be toxic for pets. It is also good to keep in mind that alcohol poisoning can occur in pets from atypical items that contain alcohol, such as fruit cake where the recipe calls for rum or other liquior; as well as unbaked bread.
Other holiday dangers to avoid.
No holiday trash diving: Make sure food and trash is put away where your pets can’t find it. A turkey carcass sitting out or left in an open trash container could be deadly to your family pet. Because they will sniff it out, dispose of turkey carcasses and bones, together with anything used to wrap or tie the meat, such as strings, bags and packaging – in a tightly secured trash bag placed in a closed trash container.
Pretty for us, but not good for them: Floral arrangements enhance holiday tables, however Baby’s Breath, amaryllis, Sweet William, some ferns, hydrangeas and others are toxic to cats and dogs, Keep your pets safe by keeping them away from all plants and table decorations.
We wish everyone a happy, safe Thanksgiving.
