Stuff The Turkey Not Your Pet!
One of the biggest difficulties facing pet owners during the holiday season is their tendency to equate food with love. It’s only natural to want to share your delicious holiday feast with your dear friends and family (fur babies included of course). But it’s important to remember that there are lots of sneaky ingredients contained in people food that we may not be aware we’re feeding to our pets; onions, garlic, sage, raisins, walnuts, macadamia nuts, Xylitol and foods that are just too rich, all of which can cause mild tummy troubles to severe toxicity issues. So instead of sneaking them some stuffing, how about a new toy instead? A Kong filled with something tasty and dog / cat appropriate (yes they make Kongs for cats!) is a welcome treat and will keep your pets away from the dinner table during meal time. A nice long Thanksgiving day walk or laser point chase session would also be a special treat to make your pet’s day exciting. Tiring your pet out in a healthy way can also cut down on unfortunate incidents like garbage pail exploration, jumping on guests, counter surfing, etc. Extra attention and exercise will be just as appreciated as food and similarly interpreted as love.
But if you still can’t shake the desire to give your fur babies a special Thanksgiving day meal consider a dog / cat appropriate meal like a special can of wet food (just remember suddenly changing your dog or cats food may cause some unwanted side affects later on). You could also make them some homemade special treats specifically for dogs and cats! Then they can enjoy the smells of holiday treats baking that are actually designed with them in mind.
All that well meant advice aside…
Should the guilt of enjoying Thanksgiving without indulging your pet is just too much to bear, fear not we’ve got you covered. A little bit of turkey is OK, but make sure it’s an appropriate portion, bone free and not slathered in gravy or containing turkey skin. Other Thanksgiving day foods that are OK to give to your pet, provided they’re unsweetened and not covered in butter, seasonings etc: sweet potatoes / yams, green beans, carrots, apples, and pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie!).
