A Friendly Reminder on How to Keep Your Pet Safe this Thanksgiving: To Treat or Not to Treat?

  Posted on November 20, 2012  by Joy of Living  No comments

Party Marty, the amazing cat with the name that says it all: Hey, there! The Thanksgiving festivities are nearly upon us! Are you ready to get your turkey on? The sights, the sounds, the smells…I love it….BUT….this is just a friendly reminder of what treats to keep away from your pet this holiday season. While we may look at you with those adorable eyes, you should know that many of the foods you enjoy can harm us. So, here’s a quick run-down of what you should avoid letting us snack on over the holidays:

• Make no bones about it! Do not serve your pet any bones. Yeah, we know…dogs love bones, but they can be quite harmful and could cause splintering or choking and could lead to illness, injury or even death. Just don’t go there.
• Do not give your pet any raw or undercooked turkey. Why? The potential for salmonella bacteria. It can make you sick and your pet sick, as well.
• No turkey skin. This can make your pet sick to his stomach or cause severe abdominal pains.
• No dough or cake batter. Besides the potential for salmonella from the raw eggs in these, the batter and dough can actually rise in the pet’s stomach when paired with his overall body heat, causing abdominal pain, bloating and vomiting.
• Don’t raise a glass with your pet. In other words, no alcohol. Seems silly to even think one would give a pet a beer or some wine, but people do stranger things. Alcohol can do any number of things to your pet – racing heart, panting, fever, liver damage, seizures, coma and even death.
• Mushrooms. While you may like them, they can make your pet incredibly ill and even cause death.
• Macadamia nuts and walnuts. No good. These are toxic and potentially lethal.
• Onions, garlic, sage and nutmeg. All of these tasty ingredients for you can lead to so much damage to your pet internally. While sweet potatoes and pumpkin are both good for your dog, make sure that there is no nutmeg in them before giving your pet a small taste.
• CHOCOLATE! Absolute no-no! If you don’t know this already, you should! This is a potential death sentence for your pet!

Thanks to waginthebox.com for this helpful information. Enjoy the holidays with a healthy, happy pet at your side! (However, my condolences to the bird – the turkey!)