Thanksgiving Threats to Pets!

​Thanksgiving is near and we would like to share some helpful holiday tips to keep your pet happy and healthy!

Turkey Skin, Ham, and Cooked Bones.
Foods that are high in fat like turkey skin and ham can be very dangerous for your pet to consume. Eating turkey or turkey skin – sometimes even a small amount – can cause a life-threatening condition in pets known as pancreatitis.  In addition, turkey and ham bones are hollow and easily splinter in a dog’s digestive tract.

Grapes and Raisins
Although the ingredient and mechanism is still unknown, consuming grapes or raisins could cause severe kidney damage or failure or even be fatal.

Onions and Garlic
Onions and garlic contain sulfides, which are toxic to dogs. Onions also contain the ingredient called thiosulphate which is toxic to both dogs and cats. Keep in mind that cooking these ingredients does not reduce their toxicity.

Walnuts and Macadamia Nuts
While many nuts can cause gastric intestinal upset or obstruction in a dog, others are potentially more serious. Specifically, walnuts and macadamia nuts are extremely dangerous for dogs and could cause vomiting, fever, and more serious complications. Other nuts that shouldn’t be consumed by dogs are almonds, pecans, pistachios and hickory nuts.

Chocolate and Baked Sweets
We all know that chocolate is a BIG no-no for dogs, but often many of the ingredients in our favorite Thanksgiving baked treats are harmful to our pets too. Nutmeg which is sometimes used to spice sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie is potentially dangerous. Though sweet potatoes and pumpkin itself are not bad, they cannot contain any nutmeg (or other toxic ingredients) if you decide to sneak your dog a Thanksgiving treat. Dough and batter are also potentially troubling, as they contain raw eggs. Other baked sweets likely contain sugar and fat. Though we find these things delicious, we should keep our pets away from them.
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Alcohol
Any and every type of alcohol is toxic for your pet. Though your dog may like the taste of beer, their kidneys were not meant to filter or process the alcohol content of beer, wine or any alcoholic beverage. Even small amounts of liquor can be lethal to a dog or cat.