Thanksgiving Safety Tips

While it is a wonderful time to gather with those you love, you need to be careful because some of those tasty holiday favorites can be harmful to dogs and cats. Please feel free to share this blog so we can keep all pets healthy and happy this holiday weekend.

Fatty Foods  While a little ‘treat’ may seem kind, fatty, rich, or unfamiliar foods such as turkey skin, gravy, and cheese can give your pet pancreatitis or gastroenteritis; both of which can be very painful and even life-threatening.

Stuffing  It’s not just the high fat of some stuffing that is a danger, many common seasonings such as sage, garlic and onion powder are toxic to your pets. Nutmeg, common in pumpkin pie, is also toxic.

Bones  Cooked ham or poultry bones are dangerous and if eaten by a pet, they can lacerate or obstruct your pets' insides.

Onions  Eating onions will destroy your dog or cat's red blood cells, which can lead to anemia.

Grapes and Raisins  Grapes and raisins contain a toxin that can cause kidney damage to both dogs and cats.

Bread Dough  When raw dough containing yeast is eaten by a pet, their body heat causes the dough to rise in their stomach. As it expands, they may experience severe abdominal pain, bloating and vomiting. It could even become a life-threatening emergency, requiring surgery.

Cake Batter  Pies and cakes are the perfect end to a Thanksgiving feast, but be sure to keep your pets away from the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs—it could contain salmonella bacteria that may cause food poisoning.

Chocolate  Most people know not to feed their dog chocolate however, chocolate and other candies are often left out on tables for guests to enjoy. Be sure to keep them out of vision and out of reach of your dog.

Alcohol  Dogs can be poisoned by ingesting alcohol, so keep the mixed drinks and beer away from your dog. Alcohol can cause severe coma, slowed respiration, and a life-threatening low blood sugar in your dog.

Other Potential Dangers

Food Wrappings  Cats and dogs love shiny and scrunchy things, especially when they are covered in food! Aluminum foil, wax paper and other food wrappings can cause intestinal obstruction so make sure to place these items securely in the garbage.

Garbage  Often at the end of Thanksgiving dinners garbage cans overflow and the celebration moves to another part of the house where you can no longer keep a watchful eye. So be sure to secure your garbage can! 

Decorations  Candles, seasonal decorations and flower centerpieces can be very tempting, but potentially harmful for your pets.

Other Pet-Friendly Holiday Ideas

Quiet Time  Any holiday celebration can be overwhelming to your pet (especially cats!), make sure that they have a quiet retreat should the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving be too much for them.

Be Aware  Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for the kitchen, so it’s best to keep your pet out of there. Hot dishes and rushing to get everything prepared, combined with a pet under foot, is a bad combination for both of you!

Educate Your Guests  Make a point of asking your guests not to feed your pets any treats or scraps. If you have that one relative who insists that there is nothing wrong with feeding your pet turkey skin, sweets, etc. because they had a pet when they were younger and they use to do that: show them this list. :-D

On behalf of everyone at Mountain View Veterinary, have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

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