Happy Thanksgiving to you and your four-legged family members!
Thanksgiving is a time for friends, family and holiday feasts, but let’s make sure it’s not a dangerous time for your pet. Thanksgiving centers around food, so here are a few tips to protect your pet and avoid a visit to the veterinarian.
Your Pet is Begging for Turkey:
If you decide to feed your pet a small bite of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked. Don't offer her raw or under cooked turkey, which may contain salmonella bacteria. Be careful of the bones. Do not give these to your pet because it can be problematic for their digestive tract.
Give Your Pet Their Special Treat:
While you are enjoying your meal, give your cat and dog a small treat of their own. Offer them safe chew bones to keep them busy; but no rawhide. Rawhide can cause blockage and choking. Do you have a toy that you can stuff some turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans). This will keep your pet busy for a while so you can enjoy your dinner.
While you are enjoying your meal, give your cat and dog a small treat of their own. Offer them safe chew bones to keep them busy; but no rawhide. Rawhide can cause blockage and choking. Do you have a toy that you can stuff some turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans). This will keep your pet busy for a while so you can enjoy your dinner.
Say No to Alliums:
Nothing with alliums (i.e., onions, garlic, leeks, scallions) should be ingested by your pet. While it is true that small, well-cooked portions of these foods can be okay if your pet is used to it, ingesting these foods in large quantities can lead to toxic anemia.
The Garbage Can:
Be careful with your garbage can. Does your pet know how to open the lid? Your pet may smell all of that leftover food that you tossed in the trash bin. A frustrated pet who can’t get a scrap out of his usually-generous parents may be tempted to dig around the trash bin and find a good number of the items that they should not be eating.
Holiday Plants:
It's not just food that you need to be careful with. There are some plants that can be toxic to your pets such as Poinsettias, holly berries, mistletoe and Cedar Christmas trees.
A Small Amount of the Foods Below are Safe for Your Pet.
- Skinless and boneless cooked turkey
- Steamed, plain green beans
- Plain carrots
- Plain, mashed sweet potato or pumpkin
- Gravy that is free of onions, sweeteners, spices and herbs
Other Foods Not to Feed Your Pet:
- Turkey skin, drippings and gravy
- Turkey twine or bones
- Corn on the cob
- Alcohol
- Bread dough
- Fat trimmings and fatty food
- Chocolate or anything with Xylitol in it
Enjoy a happy, safe and fun Thanksgiving!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment