Thanksgiving is a time of year when you gather friends and family for holiday treats and for many people that also includes our four footed family members. Pets won’t be thankful if they stumble upon food that can make them sick or get overfed from table scraps. Here are some guidelines so that you and all your loved ones can have the absolute best Thanksgiving possible.
Turkey: If you decide that you want to share some turkey with your pet please be sure that it is in small bites, well cooked and boneless. Don’t offer your pet raw or undercooked turkey as it may contain Salmonella bacteria. Do not give your pet the remaining carcass either as the bones can be harmful to their digestive track.
No Bread Dough: Make sure to keep raw bread dough away from your pet. When a dog or cat ingests raw bread dough, the yeast continues to convert the sugars in the dough to carbon dioxide gas and alcohol inside your pet’s stomach. This can lead to a dangerous and life-threatening emergency.
Desserts: Most of us know, when baking you are not supposed to consume uncooked batter particularly if it has raw egg as it may have Salmonella bacteria in it. For the same reasons you should be sure to keep your pets noses out of the batter as it may lead to food poisoning.
Dinnertime: While you and your family are enjoying your special meal be sure to give your cat or dog a treat of their own. Oftentimes pets are tempted to beg for table scraps. If you make sure you offer them chew bones or perhaps their own food with a tidbits of gravy or turkey inside of a food puzzle toy. A happy distraction keeps pets occupied and working to get their treat instead of begging.
A few treats during the holidays can be nice for your pets but please do not allow your pets to overindulge as they could wind up with an upset stomach.
