Thanksgiving Safety Tips That Will Keep Your Pets Feeling Thankful This Holiday
For many of us, Thanksgiving can be a pretty hectic day entertaining friends and family, running back to the grocery store for the ingredients you inevitably forgot to buy and trying to rearrange your oven to fit all the delicious food in. With so much going on, curious pets often find a way to snoop where they shouldn’t, so it’s important to keep your them top of mind while giving thanks.
To give you a leg up on this holiday, our experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) have some tips on how to make your Thanksgiving a pet-safe celebration!
1. Just a Taste
While we recommend sticking to your pet’s normal diet on Thanksgiving, we understand that even our furry friends can’t resist the smell of a delicious turkey or other festive dishes. If you do give your pets a bite of turkey or other meat, be sure it’s boneless and fully cooked. Raw or undercooked turkey may contain salmonella bacteria and poultry bones can be major choking hazards. If you want to treat your pet this Thanksgiving Day, try mixing some pieces of turkey, sweet potatoes and green beans into their usual dinner. You can even top it off with a drizzle of gravy. You can also opt to stuff their Thanksgiving treats into a puzzle toy to keep them occupied during your meal.
Make sure you are mindful of the ingredients and spices in your food as well. Onions and garlic are both prevalent in a lot of Thanksgiving dishes and can be toxic to pets. Bouillon cubes used for making stocks and gravy contain high amounts of sodium which can lead to gastrointestinal problems and even seizures. Raw yeast bread dough can also be toxic to pets. The raw dough can expand in the stomach, causing them to become bloated, and the ethanol (alcohol) will be absorbed by the body, leading to drunkenness and other serious side effects. You can find more information about potential food toxins with the APCC’s full list.
2. Leave the Dessert to the Humans
There is nothing like indulging in a slice (or two) or pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, but let’s leave the sweet treats to the humans. Desserts containing artificial sweeteners, like xylitol, can cause low blood sugar, liver damage or even death. Chocolate is also a major hazard to our four-legged friends and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death.
3. Watch out for Guests and Holiday Decor
If you are hosting guests, just remember that more people in your home may be overwhelming for pets. Try leaving a few blankets on the floor or a bedroom door open so they have a quiet place to curl up and relax. Additionally, keep in mind that your guests may have personal items, like medication, on them. Pets ingesting medication is all too common and can be very dangerous. Remind your guests to keep their personal items up and out of paws’ reach.
You will also want to pay attention to the holiday decorations, like floral arrangements and plants. Use the APCC toxic plants list to know what to look out for.
4. Be Kind to All Animals this Thanksgiving
It can be hard to navigate grocery stores during the busy holiday season, and it can sometimes feel even harder to navigate confusing labels on animal products. Not all companies are humane, so if you plan to purchase meat, eggs or dairy this Thanksgiving, be sure to look for welfare-certified products and try to Shop with Your Heart with our helpful resources. You can also use our Grocery List with many items available online or at supermarkets across the country.
5. Don't Forget to Take Out the Trash
This may be the last thing on your mind while trying to keep up in the kitchen, but your garbage can fill up with bones, chocolate, onions and plenty of other holiday hazards mentioned above. Try to remember to empty your trash throughout the day so that curious pets don’t get into trouble. Or, do you best to keep your pet out of the area where the trash is.
Be mindful of the tips above to keep your furry friends safe and to keep animal welfare top-of-mind this year!
If you suspect your pet has been exposed to any hazardous substances, please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
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