Thanksgiving Day Foods That Are Unsafe for Pets
Thanksgiving Day is an exciting holiday when families come together to enjoy delicious meals and treats. While there are plenty of options to savor at the dinner table, such as pies, meats, stews, and casseroles, our pets don’t have the same luxury. What is safe for humans is not always safe for dogs or cats, and it can lead to gastrointestinal issues for your furry friend, which could even be life-threatening if you’re not careful. In this post, I will outline how you and your pet can have a worry-free Turkey Day together!
Main Foods to Avoid
Bones: Bones, specifically cooked turkey or chicken bones, are brittle and splinter easily; these can damage a pet’s mouth or become a choking hazard. It can also do some serious damage internally if swallowed. It damages the intestines by possibly puncturing the intestinal wall or causing a blockage.
Salty Skins: Skin on turkey or other meats can be high in sodium and fat, causing digestive upset and could trigger pancreatitis.
Fatty Sauces: Mashed potatoes and gravy are a bit too heavy for pets; they can include creams and butter, which are high in fat and can also trigger pancreatitis, which could be life-threatening.
Chocolate: The usual culprit to avoid for pets, chocolate can be present in many pies or sweet holiday treats and should be avoided for pets. Chocolate is toxic to pets because it overstimulates their heart, nervous system, and digestion, often leading to vomiting, restlessness, rapid heartbeat, seizures, and in severe cases, death.
Alcohol: You’ll want to avoid sharing the cocktails with your friends with tails this Thanksgiving. Alcohol can cause seizures, difficulty breathing, and vomiting. It hits pets much harder than it does people.
Raisins and Grapes: Raisins and grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs so make sure you’re mindful of sharing any pies or recipes that call for these ingredients.
Onions and Garlic: Even in small amounts present in stuffing and other dishes, they are highly toxic. Both contain sulfur-based chemicals (like N-propyl disulfide and thiosulfates) that cause oxidative damage to red blood cells in pets, which leads to anemia and even death in some cases. Symptoms are weakness, pale gums, vomiting, and collapse.
Nut-heavy dishes: Macadamia nuts are especially toxic, causing weakness, tremors, and vomiting.
Xylitol (in sugar-free pies, gum, or baked goods): Xylitol poisoning in pets (especially dogs) causes rapid hypoglycemia and can progress to seizures, collapse, and liver failure. Early signs often appear within 20–60 minutes of ingestion.
Unbaked dough: Bread in itself is not technically toxic to pets, but uncooked raw dough contains yeast, which can expand in the stomach, causing painful bloating and potentially life‑threatening gastric dilation. Fermentation also produces ethanol, leading to alcohol poisoning. Also, be aware of sweet breads that may contain xylitol, or breads with nuts, onions, or grapes!
Foods That Are Safe for Pets
Green Beans: Great for dogs, it’s a great source of vitamins K and manganese, as well as fiber. Make sure it’s unsalted and butter-free.
Sweet Potatoes: A tasty, sweet treat for pets, packed full of fiber, vitamin B, and beta carotene fora healthy gut and healthy skin! Just make sure they are plain with no sweetener or additives. It can be mashed or a raw chew.
For cats, ensure the sweet potato is cooked and only serve a bit plain. Cats are obligate carnivores and don't need foods like this in their diet, but a small amount is alright.
Apples: Apples are also full of fiber and vitamin C, a healthy sweet snack for dogs. Raw apples are totally fine to toss to your furry friend on Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin Puree: When making a pumpkin pie, save a bit of the plain pumpkin puree to give to your dog or cat; it’s a great prebiotic full of fiber and a bit of sweetness. For dogs, mix with dog-safe peanut butter and put inside a Kong or another treat-stuffing toy and freeze it. This gives your dog a fun holiday treat and keeps them mentally occupied away from the kitchen!
Turkey Meat (Plain no skin): Dogs and cats can both enjoy a piece of cooked turkey meat, minus the skin, bones and all the seasonings.
Peas: Peas are a safe option for dogs, as long as you skip out on the cream and salt to avoid triggering pancreatitis or digestive issues.
Tips for A Safe Thanksgiving
Educate Guests: The biggest thing on holidays is making sure everyone’s on the same page when it comes to these very important dos and don’ts. Educate your guests when they arrive on avoiding giving pets any table scraps, even when it’s hard!
Watch Children: Similarly to guests, ensure that any children know not to give pets scraps and that the adults are mindful of any spilled food and drinks.
Keep Pets Out of the Kitchen: If it’s just too much of a hazard to have pets in the kitchen lurking around for dropped food, maybe it’s best to block pets in a separate room with a baby gate. Some pet gates, like this one, have two gate options if you would like to let a cat through but maybe not your dog!
Keep Garbage Secure: Pets can be experts at getting into things, and sometimes they even work together to accomplish that goal. I’m talking about a kitty knocking the trash over to split it with the dog, lol! To avoid things like this, check out this secure garbage can that has a pet latch to prevent sneaky garbage thieves!
