Turkey Day Treats: Safe Foods your Dog Can Eat

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year to visit family (and maybe see that mother-in-law we all know you love) and see the nieces and nephews, who are sure to try and go straight for the pumpkin pie. You may even decide to spend Thanksgiving this year with your dog or include Fido on the Thanksgiving Day feast, but before you do, you should understand which foods are safe (and unsafe) for your pup to gobble down this Thanksgiving.

DISCLAIMER

Always consult your vet before providing your pups with any human food. They can give you a better understanding of the safest quantity of each food and explain the risks of foods that could be potentially hazardous.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Should your dog consume anything from the Red Light Foods list, you should call Animal Poison Control at (888)-426-4435 or take your dog to the nearest emergency vet clinic!

• Did You know?
• Green Light Foods
• Yellow Light Foods
• Red Light Foods
• Conclusion

Did you know?

The day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times to be an ER veterinarian. We all have that one family member that will feed the dog scraps, I know I live with a family member who will not stop feeding my dog, Bear, despite the vet asking me to stop them. This will force me to babysit this family member the entire day and monitor closely what they’re feeding to not only their dog but my dog as well. However, that doesn’t mean you have to! Send this list to that one family member and keep your dog safe this Thanksgiving!

Green Light Foods

Green light foods are foods that are completely safe for your dog to have without any consequences! Make sure to give these in moderation. Think of these foods like a treat only to be given should your dog perform tricks or tasks. These foods are:

• Apples: Apples are a great source of Vitamin A, and your pup will love the crunch of this fruit. Fruits have lots of sugars, however, so only give your dog a couple of slices of apple.
• Carrots: Carrots have a lot of vitamin A, fiber, and potassium, and is a great low-calorie snack for both you and your dog. Dogs also love the crunch of this delicious treat, and frozen carrots are perfect if you have a teething puppy or a large dog that loves to chew.
• Pumpkin puree: This one you have to be kind of careful of, though. Don’t feed your dog the pumpkin pie filling you might get from the store, but actual bland pumpkin puree is great for your dog’s gut health. Often you can also find canned pumpkin at your local pet store as well.
• Fresh Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are better than what comes in your cranberry sauce, but feed in small quantities. Fruits have lots of sugar still, and you’ll be feeding your dog a lot more, I am sure.

Yellow Light Foods

Yellow light foods are foods that can be consumed by dogs BUT you should remove something, or it can only be given in small quantities, or you’ll need to know what’s in the recipe before deciding if it’s worth the risk.

These yellow light foods can change depending on how your family prepares certain Thanksgiving foods, but can include:

• Green Peas: Green Peas are often a staple in most dog foods, but I would advise you talk to your vet before you give your dog this yummy food. There is ongoing research over whether or not this kind of pea plays a role in heart disease. However, fresh (not canned!) snap peas and snow peas are typically considered a safe treat.
• Turkey: Turkey without the skin and bones are a great source of protein for your pup. They can choke on the bones or injure themselves if the bones splinter, and the skin is known to inflame the pancreas (called pancreatitis)
• Bread: as my mom likes to say, bread makes you fat. It will make your dog fat too, but that isn’t the only reason. If you’re like my family and you enjoy making garlic rolls, the garlic is toxic to dogs. Unless you know the ingredients, I advise to stay clear of this food.
• Cheese: we know you all will have a store-bought charcuterie board. As long as you don’t give your dog the pepper jack cheese this is safe in small quantities. Dogs are lactose intolerant; how badly do you want your dog to fart?
• Sweet potatoes: there is currently an ongoing study by the FDA to see if maybe potatoes of all kinds are actually somewhat toxic in large quantities. In 2018, the FDA announced a sudden surge in reports of Canin Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs that ate foods that were “grain-free” whose main ingredients included legumes, beans, lentils, and different types of potatoes. I consider this a yellow light food only because we have no research that can definitively link the food, but this will be updated as I keep my eyes out for the newest research. For now, it’s best to talk to your vet before giving your dog this food.
  • Canine DCM is a disease that results in an enlarged heart. Unlike the Grinch, an enlarged heart for humans and animals is a very bad thing to have. It can be harder for the heart to pump and can lead to a buildup of fluids in the chest should the heart valves leak, ultimately leading to Congestive Heart Failure. Certain breeds may be more at risk for Canine DCM but other factors may also play a part such as genetics, other health issues and diet.
• Potatoes: In 2018, the FDA announced a sudden surge in reports of Canin Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs that ate foods that were “grain-free” whose main ingredients included legumes, beans, lentils, and different types of potatoes. I consider this a yellow light food only because we have no research that can definitively link the food or genetic factors, but this will be updated as I keep my eyes out for the newest research. For now, it’s best to talk to your vet before giving your dog this food.

Red Light Foods

Red light foods are absolutely NOT safe for your dog, which can result in physical harm (such as choking) and even being poisonous, and you’ll need to avoid giving your dog these items:

• Bones of any kind: Dogs can potentially choke on bones or worse!
• Turkey skin: Turkey skin can cause pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, which can lead to serious consequences if not treated properly.
• Cranberry sauce: cranberry sauce is full of sugar that your dog can’t ingest properly.
• Anything made with a sugar-substitute (AKA: artificial sweetener): sugar-substitutes are lethal for your beloved furry companion.
• Stuffing: stuffing often has onions in it, which is toxic to dogs. (see below for more details)
• Anything made with Garlic: Garlic is toxic to dogs and many other animals, but strangely enough we humans can consume garlic and onions of any variety. For some reason, the toxin in Garlic, thiosulphates and disulfides, cause the dog’s hemoglobin to stop, which means they stop giving oxygen to every part of the body, and then the cells start to rupture, resulting in anemia.
• Anything made with Onion: onions are toxic to dogs. Usually, your dog will avoid a raw onion, but they can’t smell the toxin from cooked onions as well. For some reason, the toxin in onions, thiosulphates and disulfides, cause the dog’s hemoglobin to stop, which means they stop giving oxygen to every part of the body, and then the cells start to rupture, resulting in anemia.
• Anything made with nutmeg: Nutmeg is another toxic ingredient and is faster acting than Garlic or Onion poisoning. Nutmeg has myristicin, also found in insecticide, and can produce high blood pressure, abdominal pain, vomiting, or even seizures.
• Alcohol: The ingredients to make wine and beer are extremely toxic to dogs. Hops, a plant we use to make beer, for some reason causes a dog to have a fever and trigger malignant hyperthermia, though it doesn’t appear that the cause of this is known. Wine is no better. Wine is made from grapes, which is also known to damage the kidneys, because of the tartaric acid. According to the AKC website the general rule of thumb is that a lethal dose for your dog is only 5.5g of 100% ethanol, which isn’t even an oz! Regardless of how great you think your math skills are (unless you’re a math professor, in which case, uh…carry on here, if you’d like to take the risk) it’s best to go straight to the nearest emergency vet clinic if your dog has had even a taste of alcohol.
  • fun fact: horses can drink beer! This is because horses, much like humans, can produce an enzyme that can break down the alcohol into sugars.

Conclusion

Some foods are safer than others for your furry friend, and a trip to the ER vet makes for an expensive Thanksgiving and, overall, it’s simply not worth risking accidentally giving your pup the wrong foods. Share this list with the friends and family you know will try to share their dinner with your companion, or even share this with another dog-lover to pass along.