If you’ve been a pet owner for quite some time, you probably already know that many types of human food should not be fed to your pets. For this reason, it’s always best to only feed your pets with specially-formulated and healthy pet food. Besides eliminating the risk of feeding them potentially toxic food, you can also ensure that your beloved pets are receiving adequate nutrition!
However, resisting your pets’ incessant prodding can be especially difficult during the holidays, when the smell of mouth-watering food can be irresistible even for you. If you must feed your dog or cat with some of your thanksgiving food, ensure that you avoid giving them the following items:
1. Chocolate Desserts
This one goes without saying, but we believe that it still bears repeating. Chocolates are toxic to both dogs and cats. The darker it is, the more deadly it will be for your pets! Cats generally don’t get attracted to chocolate anyway, but dogs love them and will gorge on them if given a chance. For this reason, keep your chocolate desserts away from the reach of your pets altogether.
2. Turkey Bones
Contrary to popular belief, dogs don’t actually eat the bones. Instead, they chew on them to get to the bone marrow underneath. Unfortunately, in the process of doing so, the bones can splinter and wound your dog’s mouth, the insides of the stomach, and even the intestines. If you must feed your dog with turkey, go for pure, fully-cooked, and skinless meat parts.
3. Stuffing
The stuffing gives the turkey flavor and aromatics, making them irresistible to cats and dogs. However, they are also often made with onions, scallions, and garlic. These ingredients are extremely toxic to cats and dogs and can cause anemia. Whatever you do, don’t let your pets anywhere near your turkey stuffing.
4. Mashed Potatoes
By themselves, potatoes are safe for pet consumption. However, typical mashed potato recipes contain butter, milk, onion powder, and garlic. Dairy products can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and loose stools for lactose intolerant animals. Puppies and kittens, in particular, are likely to be allergic to dairy. Meanwhile, onions and garlic are toxic to dogs and cats in large amounts, so it’s best to keep mashed potatoes away from your pets altogether.
5. Ham
Ham and other pork products treated with sugars are highly calorific even for adult humans with a bigger body mass than dogs. Even a small portion of commercial ham can exceed a dog or cat’s recommended calorie intake—which can lead to obesity. Ham is also typically very high in sodium, which can cause pancreatitis.
If fed as a rare treat, tiny morsels of ham shouldn’t be harmful, but a human-sized portion can be enough to cause an upset stomach and diarrhea.
Conclusion
This Thanksgiving, it can be tempting to let your pet dogs and cats in with the celebration by feeding them generous servings from your feast. After all, there will be a lot of food to go around, and they’ll probably enjoy it.
However, you must remember that a lot of the food that humans eat can be toxic to animals, even in small amounts. To avoid causing a pet-related emergency during the holidays, you better keep your pets away from your Thanksgiving feast altogether. Instead, it’s best to stick to feeding them with specially-formulated and healthy pet food instead.
Wags to Wiskers is your best source of pet supplies in Ann Arbor, Chelsea, and Ludington, MI. We supply healthy pet food, treats, supplements, and more for your furry friends. Order online today to save yourself from going out!