Thanksgiving Foods: OK to feed to pets?
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, there is certain to be begging and puppy-dog eyes from our four-legged friends who pick up on the delicious smells of cooking food wafting through the kitchen.
Whether you’re a pet owner who likes to hand out the occasional table scraps, or has a crazy uncle who thinks your pet should enjoy the night’s meal, we want to make sure you’re aware of which foods are safe. While we don’t condone table feeding as its regularity can lead to obesity and encourages begging behaviors, the following will give you an idea of which foods are okay to feed:
Turkey: In moderation
A small amount of lean, light meat is okay to treat your pet, but try to steer away from skin, fat, and dark meat. Cooked bones are a definite no-no as they can splinter and cause choking or damage to your pet’s digestive system.
Turkey Gravy: Avoid
Gravy usually contains high amounts of fat which is not healthy for your pet. Fatty foods can cause gastrointestinal upset in your pet.
Mashed Potatoes: In moderation
Mashed potatoes that are prepared bland and light (read: without heaps of butter and heavy cream) can be an okay snack to slip to your pet, but if they are loaded with fat and salt, then it’s best to avoid feeding them.
Any mashed potatoes prepared with garlic, onions, scallions, or chives should definitely be kept away from pets as these foods are toxic to dogs and cats.
Stuffing: Avoid
Stuffing often contains those ingredients that are toxic to pets such as onions, chives, garlic, and scallions. Plus, with the added butter, stuffing is likely a fatty treat that your pet does not need.
Cranberry Sauce: Avoid
Plain cranberry sauce is usually quite high in sugar which pets just do not need in their diets. Others may contain raisins or grapes which are toxic to pets, so it’s best to keep the cranberry sauce away altogether.
Homemade Rolls: In moderation
A bit of bread here or there is okay to toss to your pet, so long as it’s not slathered in butter.
Green Bean Casserole: Just the beans
Like many other vegetables, green beans can be a great snack for dogs. However, casseroles often contain onions and creamy mushroom soup which are not good for dogs. So skip the casserole and stick to the beans when treating your pet.
Corn: just the corn, no cobs
While some pets may have corn allergies, others can manage munching a few cooked corn kernels just fine. Just be sure to keep the cobs away, as it can cause an obstruction if your dog attempts to eat the entire cob.
Candied Sweet Potatoes/Yams: Avoid
Candied, sugary, buttery goodness is a delightful dessert for humans, but does not offer any nutritional value to pets and is best not to be shared.
Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, Pecan Pie, oh my!
Just like the above, it’s best to avoid sugary sweet desserts when sneaking food to pets under the table. It’s not the end of the world if a bite accidentally falls off your fork. But it’s best not to purposely feed pie to your four-legged friend.
From our family to yours, we hope you have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!
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Hi Stacy,
Good point on “cooked bones” being a no-no. Lots of people are used to giving their pets uncooked bones so they might not think about cooked bones as being any different.
What they don’t realize is that when the bones are cooked they get dried out and as you mentioned, they splinter when they are chewed.
I’m also willing to bet that relatively few pet parents realize that garlic, onions, scallions, and chives are all toxic to cats and dogs. I didn’t realize this myself until somewhat recently. Who would have thought, right?
I agree that too much sugar or butter can cause gut trouble and disease over time. A little bit here and there probably wouldn’t harm.
Dogs and cats love Turkey breast and I’m always happy to give it to them.
Good Thanksgiving food tips for pets,
=^-^= Hairless Cat Girl =^-^=
Well, my 2 1/2 year old Westie Daisy Mae is a few pounds overweight. She never gets food from the table. If she sits there looking at me with those soulful eyes, I have a hard time eating. She doesn’t beg, she just sits there. Lately I’ve been putting her in rhe mud room off the kitchen while I eat. She doesn’t mind. After I’m done I will often give her a little bit of unflattering meat, or vegetables such as cucumber, green beans, carrots etc. But I put it in her bowl. She has diet food and diet chews as a snack from the vet. Once in a while I scatter a few Goldfish on the floor when I’m leaving the house. She’s also crazy about mangoes and some other fruits. Am I doing the right thing. She doesn’t get a lot of exercise since I live in Alberta where it’s been snowing almost every day. She just spent 8 weeks in a wonderful kennel, where the owners are very conscious of diet and exercise. She loves it and spends most of her time chasing her friends around outside, even in winter! How can I make up for this lack of exercise? Thanks.
Hi Leny,
You can talk to your veterinarian about Daisy Mae’s diet and exercise. As you slow down in the winter, she’ll likely require fewer calories than in summer months. Staying active in the winter can take some creativity. Try to find ways to get Daisy May active around the house like playing fetch, hide-and-seek, and other games. You can also ask your veterinarian for information on local indoor playrooms and meetup groups where she can run and play with other dogs to be active outside your home. It sounds like she might enjoy some extra playtime with friends!
Thanks! Yes I’ll all to my vet about an indoor playground. I haven’t heard of any in my town. It’s hard to play with her atm because I have a healing broken arm. I even find it hard to hug her. I just spent 8 weeks in the hospital. She DOES love it at home though. I live alone so there’s no one else else to play with, except on the weekend when my son comes home. What about the fruits and veggies? She is on diet food and diet snacks from the vet!
Fruits and veggies should be okay in moderation. Especially veggies like carrots can be a low-calorie snack for your pet. Your vet may have more suggestions about this too!
Sorry to hear about your arm! We wish you a speedy recovery! If there aren’t indoor playrooms and you aren’t able to play tug-o-war or fetch yourself, another option would be to invite her dog friends over for a play date!
Yes I’ve thought of a play date. She has a special friend Abby so that would work! Nice for Abby too since her mom works out of the home! Thanks!
Thanks, I have gone through your blog which was very useful to me. My pets love Turkey breast and I am happy to give it to them. Thank you so much for giving food tips for pets.