Top 8 Foods to Avoid at Thanksgiving and Holidays

As Thanksgiving approaches, I’m sure we’re all excited to be gathering around the table with family and friends, to celebrate and enjoy some delicious food! With all the big changes that’s happening in the world & our lives, it’s so necessary to have time to really reflect on how much we have to be thankful for, and be mindful and appreciative, whether it be for good health, a strong support system, a safe place to call home, and of course, for our furry friends and all the love & joy that they have to offer us! 

It’s important to remember that amidst all the festivities involving fun and food, that we keep in mind that although you may be tempted to share some food off your plate with your pup, there are many items that can be either harmful or even downright dangerous. Whether it be on purpose with good intentions, or accidentally leaving a plate too close to the edge of the table (or maybe you have a counter-surfing furry fiend, pun intended!), we’re here to help educate and spread awareness. If you want your pets to be safe & healthy during the Thanksgiving season, read on to see what foods to avoid, and what safe alternatives you can offer instead!

8 Food Items to Avoid

Alcohol & Caffeine:

Whether it be during dinner or afterwards, drinks get moved around as we move around the home, so make sure your dogs don’t get into these bottles! Even if they don’t drink a large amount, it doesn’t take much to cause respiratory distress, tremors, coma, and even death…

A dog-friendly option would be bone broth! If you want to cheers with your pup, bone broth is a hydrating & wholesome option, since it has an abundance of beneficial nutrients to support joint health, digestion, and liver health.

Turkey (Skin, Gravy, Bones):

As delicious as it is for us, cooked turkey skin is not recommended for dogs as it’s often basted in butter, spices, and other fatty ingredients that can eventually cause pancreatitis. You should also avoid gravy, as it’s usually made from the fat drippings, which is incredibly high in fat and can cause gastrointestinal distress, and life-threatening inflammation. Once poultry bones have been cooked, you should never feed them to your dog, as they become brittle and dangerously sharp, which splinter off when chewed and can cause punctures & blockages in the stomach & intestines. 

Some safe turkey alternatives would be raw turkey pet food so they can still enjoy the delicious taste and reap the benefits that come with it - high in protein, low in fat, contains Riboflavin, Phosphorous, Magnesium & Potassium. In our freezers at both locations, we have multiple turkey raw food that are complete and balanced - perfect for Thanksgiving!

A safe and much more beneficial way to feed bones is to feed them RAW, as raw bones are not as hard as cooked bones, making them easier to ingest and digest. In fact, raw bones are an essential part of a raw diet to help solidify stool. We love feeding Woofur Turkey Necks to our pups because not only does it keep our dogs busy but they are nature’s best toothbrushes to help remove plaque and buildup!

Stuffing:

As special as mom’s secret stuffing recipe might be, anything containing large amounts of onions or alliums (garlic, leeks, chives) can be toxic to your pets, damaging red blood cells, and may cause anemia or gastroenteritis

A great side dish to add to your pet’s turkey meal would be either beef or lamb tripe. This little additive is not only mouth-watering to dogs, but also incredibly healthy as it’s naturally rich in probiotics and digestive enzymes to help with digestion and the immune system.

Nuts:

Whether they’re almonds, walnuts, pecans, or pistachios, they are difficult to digest and can either cause blockages, or are very high in fat and can also cause pancreatitis. Macadamia nuts in particular are especially toxic and may cause neurological symptoms.

Grapes & Raisins

These may be hidden in stuffing, pies, and puddings, so be very wary, as these are terribly toxic. Grapes can cause severe, irreversible and sometimes fatal kidney failure in dogs. Be sure to keep all dishes that include grapes and raisins away from pets.

Pumpkin pie:

It’s a delicious dessert for us, but mainly because it’s been flavoured  with sugar, cream, and spices such as nutmeg, which when consumed in large quantities, can cause stomach pains and hallucinations for dogs. Instead of pumpkin pie, consider giving your dog organic pumpkin puree instead to help with digestion as well as being a rich source of fiber.

Chocolate Desserts

Chocolate is incredibly popular in so many desserts, and while we humans love it, our pups definitely shouldn’t eat it! It contains both caffeine and a chemical called theobromine, which can contribute to signs of toxicity, such as seizures, internal bleeding, and heart attacks. The darker & more bitter the chocolate, the more dangerous for your doggy.

Edibles/Cannabis:

Some doggy parents might choose to celebrate in a more “green” manner, and while it might be quite the experience, this is something you’ll definitely want to keep these far, far away from your pets! Edibles can come in the form of brownies, which contain chocolate, or even raisin cookies, which as we discussed, are both highly toxic on their own, and then there’s the additional danger of THC. The smaller the dog, the more intense the effects of marijuana, and can remain in their bodies for up to twice as long as humans! Dogs also have an ability to “recycle” compounds such as THC, meaning it gets absorbed through the gut & stored in the bile, but when your dog eats their next meal, the bile is released again into the intestines, meaning your pet will go through a second round of exposure to THC.

What you can do instead

At the end of the day, even though we have many food-safe alternatives to common dangerous holiday foods, with so much commotion and conversation, it’s not always easy to keep an eye on your dog or cat. You can do your best to warn your guests not to feed your pets, but you can’t guarantee that they’ll be able to resist your fur baby’s begging face, and they may unknowingly be slipping them a toxic food under the table when you’re not watching. Or perhaps you have a klutz in the family, and they trip and their plate of food goes flying in the air, and all over the floor! Or maybe you turn your back to check on the turkey in the oven, and your sneaky pet jumps up on the counter and grabs a huge bite off a nearby plate! While your guests may find it hilarious that you & Fido have suddenly become the night’s entertainment as you chase him around the house as he refuses to let go of his stolen snack, you probably won’t be too pleased! 

The best way to prevent the above situations is to make sure that your dog isn’t even underfoot in the first place. While dinner’s being prepared, and even while everyone’s enjoying the Thanksgiving feast, the safest place for your dog would be away from the dining table - back in their crates! While it may look cute, it’s not polite for dogs to be shoving their snouts on your lap, looking for table scraps. Even worse would be if they get their teeth on a turkey leg, and growl or even snap at you, as you try to take it away from them. Crate training is very important as it helps your dog understand boundaries, respect, overcome anxiety, build confidence and promotes independence. We suggest that when your dog is calm and quiet inside the crate, you can reward him/her with a nice big frozen or dehydrated turkey neck to chew on from the comfort and safety of their crate, so that they too, can celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, without the dangers/health risks, or any emergency trips to the vet.

With so many safe options out there, you can definitely all happily feast and enjoy Thanksgiving, family, friends, and Fido included!