The holidays are a time for eating, drinking and being merry with your loved ones.
While you may think the cheery season would be a good time to spoil your pet with human foods and treats, it turns out that those bites could backfire.
There are numerous foods that are harmful to your pets -- even if they are consumed from a splatter or crumbs on the floor. These foods include traditional Thanksgiving treats such as turkey, according to Los Angeles veterinarian Dr. Karen "Doc" Halligan.
“One little piece of turkey can set a pet off to a life-threatening pancreatitis,” Halligan said. “Just love your pets instead. Don’t give them a piece of holiday meal.”
Additional hazards include string used to make holiday meats.
“They are soaked in ham and turkey juice. Your pets will sniff them out and ingest them,” Halligan warns.
Additionally, our four-legged pals should not have any casseroles, stuffing, creamed spinach/peas, ham or alcoholic beverages. The American Veterinary Medical Association notes that fatty foods are hard for animals to digest.
These holiday foods are unsafe for pets:
- Turkey bones, skin and gravy: The AVMA notes that even a small amount of turkey or turkey skin can cause pancreatitis in dogs.
- Yeast dough: While bread is not typically harmful for pets, yeast dough can lead to painful gas and dangerous bloating. "When a dog eats bread dough, the yeast continues to make the dough rise, distending your pup’s stomach and releasing toxic levels of ethanol into the bloodstream," the American Kennel Club says.
- Desserts that contain chocolate or Xylitol: Chocolate is toxic to dogs, the AKC says. Signs of chocolate poisoning, which include vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination and restlessness, usually appear within 6-12 hours.
- Onions, Garlic: According to the AKC, onions and garlic contain toxins that can lead to anemia in dogs.
- Raisins and grapes: Both are known to be highly toxic to dogs, the AKC says.
These holiday foods are safe for pets:
- Apples: As long as you are cutting around the core, the AKC says, since "large amounts of apple seeds can be toxic."
- Green Beans: Similar to turkey, green beans are a healthy option for dogs as long as they are plain, and without added ingredients like butter or spices.
- Pumpkin: "Pumpkin helps with digestive health and it's great for a dog's skin and coat," Dr. Gary Richter, MS, DVM says. However, "make sure it's just pumpkin and not the pre-spiced pie mix."
- Carrots: "While carrots are generally safe, it is important to cut whole carrots and even carrot sticks into bite-size chunks before feeding them to your dog," the AKC says.
- Sweet potato: Another great option are sweet potatoes without any added ingredients contain "dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C and beta-carotene," Richter says.
