What Thanksgiving Foods Are Safe For My Dog?
What Thanksgiving Foods Are Safe For My Dog?
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and with it, comes all the delicious fixings! Unfortunately, there is often an increase in vet visits as a result of pets ingesting unsafe foods during the holidays. Not sure what Thanksgiving foods are safe to feed your furry friend? Keep on reading to see what’s on our list of pet-safe and unsafe foods for Thanksgiving.
Dog-Safe Thanksgiving Foods
If you want to treat your pet to some Thanksgiving goodies this holiday (and they don’t have allergies to these items), try giving them small amounts of these dog-safe foods:
Cooked turkey: Small amounts of unseasoned cooked turkey meat are safe to give your pet – but be sure to stay away from turkey fat, skin, and bones.
Cooked Sweet Potatoes: Cooked sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, low in fat, and contain vitamins A and C. If giving your dog cooked sweet potato, be sure it doesn’t have any other added ingredients like cream or salt. While cooked sweet potatoes are safe to feed your dog, avoid feeding them uncooked sweet potatoes: they can upset your dog’s stomach and can be difficult to chew.
Cooked Potatoes: Small amounts of boiled or baked potatoes are safe to share with your dog – as long as they don’t have any added ingredients such as butter, sour cream, salt, etc. Never feed your dog raw potatoes! Potatoes are part of the nightshade family and when raw, contain solanine, a compound that’s unsafe for some dogs to ingest.
Pumpkin: Cooked, raw, or plain canned pumpkin is safe to feed to your pet (but avoid raw pumpkin seeds and canned seasoned pumpkin). Besides being delicious, pumpkin is also high in fiber, which can help with digestive issues like diarrhea and constipation.
Apples: Served raw, these crunchy treats are a safe Thanksgiving snack for your dog. Apples also contain beneficial vitamins and are loaded with fiber. Just be sure to remove the core and seeds before giving apple slices to dogs. When ingested in large amounts, apple seeds can be toxic.
Unsafe Thanksgiving Foods For Dogs
Avoid feeding your dog turkey fat, skin, gravy, and any other fatty foods. While delicious for humans, these high-fat menu items can cause serious and painful conditions like pancreatitis if ingested by dogs. Another item to keep away from pets is cooked turkey bones. These can splinter and damage your dog’s mouth, throat, or intestines if consumed. All desserts should also be off-limits for dogs – pies, cookies, sweets, chocolate and more can contain sweeteners and other unsafe (and potentially lethal) ingredients if ingested by our furry friends.
An unattended turkey carcass or leftovers on the kitchen counter can look pretty inviting to a curious canine. When cleaning up after Thanksgiving, be sure to store leftovers and trash securely out of reach of your pet.
Here are a few other items that often make it onto the Thanksgiving table that should never be fed to dogs:
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Alcoholic drinks
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Onions, garlic, and scallions
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Bread dough
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Raisins and grapes
If your pet ingests something it shouldn’t, be sure to reach out to your vet as soon as possible.
From everyone at Puppyland, we wish you and your canine companion a safe and happy Thanksgiving!