Thanksgiving is going to be the perfect time of year to celebrate a wonderful feast with friends and family, but what about your pets? Many people also include their pets for Thanksgiving meals and even Christmas, too. However, pet owners should be careful with what foods are given to pets, because many items may not be good for them.

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Use Caution

First, before you decide to pile on a little bit of everything for your pets to enjoy, a responsible pet owner must know what they are giving their animals and the effect it may have on them. Thanksgiving meals can provide lean protein and fresh vegetables to an animal’s diet, but it also can end up being very bad for them. It’s important to know which food items are okay before any Thanksgiving plate is created for your furry friend.

Thanksgiving Turkey

The wonderful bonus about turkey is the fact it’s a lean meat. It is great for dogs and cats, but be sure to only give your animal white meat. Also, make sure there are not bones or any skin/fat for your dog to consume. Bones are very important to pay attention to. A bone can end up resulting in an emergency trip to the vet clinic. If you must, shred the turkey so you are able to really examine what you are giving your dog or cat. A fork is a great way to do this.

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Thanksgiving Alliums

This is something a pet owner needs to pay close attention and to watch for. If you are seasoning your food, including your turkey, you need to watch for onions, garlic, leeks, and scallions. These can be quite damaging to your pets if ingested in large quantities, leading to toxic anemia. Some pets might be used to eating little amounts of these alliums, but in general it’s better to be safe than sorry (especially during the holidays).

Mashed Potatoes

Naturally, you might notice your dog or cat ready for some good old-fashioned mashed potatoes, but a pet owner also must watch what might be added into the mashed potatoes. Cheese, sour cream, butter, onions, and even gravy are not something you want to have your pet ingest. While your animals might love the taste of gravy, there might be some ingredients that will make your animal’s stomach very upset. Does your pet go wild at the smell or sight of mashed potatoes?

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Thanksgiving Fruits

A major no-no is going to be grapes. Whatever you do, don’t give your pets grapes. Grapes have been shown to cause kidney failure in dogs, which is a horrible sickness to witness. Grapes also mean raisins as well. Be careful for any falling fruit or raisins on the floor, because our pets are also great at cleaning the floor for anything that drops.

If you are a pet owner who would like to give your pet a small plate of goodies, try looking for small amounts of fresh carrots chopped up, a few plain green beans (minus the green bean casserole), a tablespoon of macaroni and cheese, and even a bit of cranberry sauce if it has a limited amount of sugar. Otherwise, Thanksgiving is a great time to simply give your pets a few extra treats throughout the day for a special surprise and maybe a post-Thanksgiving meal snuggle.

 


 

Do you plan on celebrating Thanksgiving with your fur baby?


 

 

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