Sharing food with your pet during the busy holiday season is inevitable. The delicious aroma of turkey baking in the oven or fresh pumpkin pie is sure to have your furry friend begging at your feet. While sharing is caring, be sure to avoid sharing specific holiday foods that are harmful to your four-legged family member.
Safe Holiday Snacks
Let’s start off with the foods you can feed your fur baby during the upcoming holidays. During Halloween and thanksgiving, there is no lack of pumpkins! Pumpkins and pumpkin puree are safe, healthy treats for your animal if they are fresh and free of any additives. Most vegetables are also excellent treats for your pets. Celery, carrots, and cucumber are nutritious and pose no risk to your beloved pet–just skip the dips and seasonings.
Holiday Staples You Should Avoid
While onion and garlic are delicious additions to most holiday meals, they are very toxic and harmful to your pets. Nutmeg is also frequently used during the holidays, typically in desserts like pumpkin pie. Pumpkins or pumpkin puree is non-toxic to your pet, but nutmeg is extremely dangerous as it can cause your pet to hallucinate or fall very ill, so avoid sharing canned pumpkin pie mix with your cat or dog.
The Turkey Dilemma
Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is not complete without a giant bird in the oven! Sharing turkey with pets is somewhat of a gray area. It is typically safe to feed your pet small amounts of white meat, which provides them with a great source of lean protein. Do not feed them any turkey skin or spiced portions of the turkey, and beyond anything else, make sure you never give your pet turkey bones, cooked or otherwise. Turkey bones can splinter and crack while ingested, causing blockages and internal tearing.
Keep your pet safe this holiday season, and contact your veterinarian with any questions or concerns you may have about keeping your pet safe!