We want to celebrate Thanksgiving with our favorite pups, but it is important to remember what foods they can and can’t eat. Dogs stomachs can be easily upset by changes in diet, so it is important to only give them a few bites of new food with their regular meal. Also important is to make sure that they do not have access to anything that they shouldn’t – we know some dogs who would take the entire turkey off the counter if given the opportunity, our office dog Cooper is one of them!
Thanksgiving foods that are safe for dogs:
Plain Turkey without any bones or skin
Plain pumpkin – save them a bite of pumpkin before you mix it with all the spices for pumpkin pie. Canned plain pumpkin is OK but the canned pumpkin pie filling should be avoided as it already has sugars and spices added
Plain potato – dogs can have regular and sweet potatoes without any any added butter or seasoning
Apple slices – making an apple pie? Give you dog a small slice of apple before it has been added to the filling
Spinach – dogs can have a small amount of plain cooked or raw spinach
Carrots – raw or cooked without added seasonings
Thanksgiving foods that are NOT safe for dogs:
Turkey bones – make sure to keep the turkey bones far away from where your dog can reach them. Cooked bones splinter
Turkey skin
Mashed potatoes – do not feed after they have been mixed with butters and seasonings
Stuffing – contains onions and spices that dogs can not have
Onions
Chocolate desserts
Pumpkin pie filling – this often contains Xylitol which can be very harmful for dogs
Alcoholic beverages
Salads containing onion, grapes or raisins
Here is a post from PetMD that talks about some of the foods that are safe for dogs to enjoy with you on Thanksgiving https://www.petmd.com/dog/slideshows/7-safe-and-healthy-human-foods-dogs-you-can-serve-holidays#slide-1