I know many of you are already celebrating Christmas. Sometimes I'm a little slow on the latest trends, so I'm still thinking about Thanksgiving. Although feeding your dog the wrong kind of people food is a no-no, the right kinds can be enjoyable and healthy. A traditional Thanksgiving meal has both great choices and terrible choices for your pooch. Here are a list of dos and don'ts to help you treat your pet to a special Thanksgiving meal.
We love our little beggars, but here are some Thanksgiving meal dos and don'ts for dogs.
thanksgiving meal dos and don'ts for dogs
DO feel free to toss you pooch some boneless, well-cooked turkey. It is, after all, really what your pooch is after. Just don't leave the turkey unattended. A little turkey is good. A whole turkey is bad.
DON'T let your dog get into the raw bread dough. Raw yeast dough converts into sugar and alcohol in the stomach, which could become life-threatening depending on the size of your dog and the amount ingested. Plus, nobody wants a bloated, drunk dog wrecking the family meal. Leave that to Uncle Joe.
DO veggie it up! Sweet potatoes (hold the marshmallows) and green beans (hold the salt) are particularly healthy for your dog, depending on how you prepare them. Less is more, here, so hold off if your recipe calls for a ton of salt, sugar, or other ingredient that may not be canine-friendly. And no onions! They are toxic to dogs.
DON'T give your dog dessert, and don't allow him access to uncooked deserts, especially. Raw eggs could contain salmonella that could lead to food poisoning. Even cooked, sweet pies and the like just have too much sugar for Fido to handle. You don't want to excuse yourself from the festivities to clean up dog barf, do you?
DO create a fun dog-friendly treat. Freezing a bite of turkey and a drop of gravy in an ice cube can provide fun and entertainment for your pooch. Or try putting some turkey and veggies in a Kong. Interactive treats are so fun!
DON'T go overboard. Everything in moderation is my philosophy, and that should be especially true for your pooch. A little goes a long way. Make sure you keep track of who is passing scraps under the table, especially if children are involved. If all twelve guests at the dinner table are dropping turkey, Fido might overindulge. Will overindulge.
So unless you're morally, ethically, or politically opposed to allowing your dog a bit of human food, feel free to include your pooch in the festivities and the meal. Just keep these tips in mind to keep things on the healthy side of the scale. Happy Thanksgiving!