It can be fun to keep our dogs with as we enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, but it’s so hard to resist the temptation to share Thanksgiving dinner with them. Here’s a few tips to help keep your furry family members happy and healthy as you gather ’round the table this Thanksgiving Day….
While cooked turkey meat is safe for dogs to eat, be extremely cautious when discarding items used to cook the turkey which may be tempting to dogs, such as skewers, string, pop-up timers, and roasting bags. Swallowing such things can cause an intestinal blockage or perforation.
Turkey bones should never be fed to dogs. All poultry bones splinter easily, and, whether splintered or whole, they can lodge inside or perforate a dog’s intestines. Place turkey bones and other garbage in cans with tight fitting, dog-proof lids. If your trash cans are over-filled with extra holiday trash, place the filled bags of garbage behind a closed door with a dog-proof latch.
Turkey skin is something dogs love to eat, but consuming fatty food like poultry skin can lead to gastric distress and Pancreatitis, a serious inflammatory condition of the pancreas that causes vomiting and dehydration.
If you think you must share some of your Thanksgiving feast with your dogs, do it safely….
* A sudden change in diet, like a big bowl of full of turkey and all the trimmings could cause an upset stomach and diahrrea.
* Add a few pieces of boneless, skinless turkey meat to their regular food.
* Make something special ahead of time to give your dog on Thanksgiving Day -
like Turkey Dinner Loaf or Turkey Gobbler Treats.
During Thanksgiving Dinner…
* Give your dog a special new chewy, an irresistable new toy, or a treat filled Kong Toy or Buster Cube to keep him occupied during the meal.
* Some well-meaning guests may not know that you don’t want anyone to share food with the dog. Before serving, let everyone know that they should not give anything to the dog.
* Keep a watchful eye on children who might want to feed the cute doggy anyway.
* Keep a watchful eye on dogs who can’t resist the opportunity to steal food from little hands.
