Thanksgiving Food Do’s and Don’ts for Pets to Keep them Safe this Holiday
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Thanksgiving is a day filled with food, family, and friends gathered together. But while you're enjoying the holiday, it's important to keep your furry family members in mind too to make sure they have a safe and happy day as well.
Most Thanksgiving foods are not safe for pets. Popular Thanksgiving ingredients like onion, garlic, gravy, baked goods, and deserts are toxic to dogs. Anything seasoned is a big risk.
"It's a risk with many of the holiday foods, definitely bones, "Powers Pet Emergency Veterinarian Dr. Dana Goddard said. "No well seasoned foods like onions and garlics and stuffings. You can try a little turkey as long as there's no gravy, butter, or if it's well seasoned, not a good idea."
Veterinarians advise against giving dogs any Thanksgiving food to be on the safe side. But to give them some extra doggy treats instead.
However, there are some safe options if the dog has been able to stomach them before. Such as plain sweet potatoes and turkey without any butter or gravy, as long as they are baked and bones are removed. As they can be very dangerous.
Also, keep all alcoholic drinks away from pets.
Veterinarians also say to keep pets out of the kitchen, with trash cans closed. They also say to keep all food and plates high up where they cannot be reached if a pet is left alone in a room.
"At the holidays we risk really rich foods giving dogs gastrointestinal upset and pancreatitis," Goddard said. "Hate to have them end up int he hospital on a holiday with family when we'd rather be spending time at home."
Veterinarians say to look for excessive vomiting and diarrhea if a dog does end up getting into the trash or any food from plates or the table. If the dog isn't acting like themselves, it's advised to bring them in to an emergency vet to get checked out.
If you plan on having company over and if your pet gets nervous around new people or groups of people, it's advised to keep them in a separate room with comforting items like toys. As well as music, television, or some other source of noise to drown out the sound.
