This Thanksgiving season, I wanted to share a few ways to keep your pets healthy on one of the biggest eating days of the year!
Thanksgiving Safety Tips:
- Thanksgiving brings health hazards to dogs and other pets as well as humans. Don’t give turkey bones to pets. Turkey bones and other bird bones are hollow, which makes them likely to splinter. This can cause tears in an animal’s esophagus, stomach or intestines.
- Fatty holiday foods, like turkey skin and gravy, can contribute to Pancreatitis. More pets are brought to vets for Pancreatitis after their families have had a party or holiday dinner.
- Be careful about leaving chocolate candies out (or dropping candy on the floor). Chocolate can cause illness and death in dogs. In addition, dogs shouldn’t be fed grapes, raisins, onions, alcohol or anything with caffeine. It’s also important to keep the string used to tie the turkey and other food wrappings out of reach of pets.
- Dogs tend to be excited when there are lots of people in the house. When they are excited, they often eat too quickly, and this can lead to bloating, a very dangerous condition. Feed your dog before the guests arrive and don’t let them be too active before or after eating. (Easier said than done, right?) 🙂
Bon Appetit,
Michelle
