Giving Thanks with our "Fur-amily"
Happy Thanksgiving! Today is a day to celebrate relationships with those we love, and for those of us who are lucky enough to have dogs that count as "fur-amily" sometimes the holidays prove trying. We want the furriest members of our family to partake in the delicious festivities, but at the same time we often want to be responsible pet owners and not accidentally make them sick.
The good news is that you don't need to hold out on the dogs in our lives so long as we're cautious and aware. Thanksgiving isn't for letting our pets go dumpster diving in the kitchen, but to include them with care.
Some of the standard "no nos" are:
-Chocolate
-Onions, Scallions, Garlic (no alliums)
-Grapes, raisins, or craisins
-Sugar Free Healthy Substitutes (no "diet" cake or ice cream)
As for what you can give to make your dog's Thanksgiving extra special...
Turkey is a big yes! But avoid giving the skin or bones, or parts with too much fat. The skin can cause them to choke if in excess quantity, and turkey bones are relatively brittle and can break. So, as long as you're giving your dog the part of the turkey that you'd like to eat... then you and Fido should be good to go!
Cranberry sauce is also okay, provided it isn't artificial or overly sweetened. Likewise mashed potatoes are tasty (so long as they aren't smothered in gravy or mixed with any alliums listed above).
As for stuffing, unfortunately stuffing is typically a "no no" due to the assorted ingredients contained in it.
As always, avoid introducing many new foods to your dog around the Holidays because they often can't handle too much new things at once.
For more detail about the dos and don'ts, check out the following article "Holiday Leftovers for your Pets?" at PetMD as well as "Can I Give My Dog Holiday Leftovers" at CanIGiveMyDog.
In the meanwhile you might enjoy watching this FreshPet holiday feast...
