Thanksgiving is in just a few weeks, which means houses full of friends and family enjoying turkey, mashed potatoes, pecan pie, stuffing, and any other food you can think of. It can be hard to keep an eye on your dog with all those people around, and even harder to keep track of what people might be sneaking them.
While there are a lot of foods your dog shouldn’t have, there are also a few safe Thanksgiving foods for dogs (in moderation).
Keep reading to learn about five foods your dog can and can’t eat on Turkey Day!
What foods should dogs stay away from on Thanksgiving?
1 – Onions, garlic and chives
You probably wouldn’t think to give these foods to your dog raw, but we use onion, garlic and chives on a lot of the Thanksgiving foods we prepare. Be sure to keep them away from your dog, as they are toxic and can cause red blood cell damage.
2 – Grapes and Raisins
According to the Pet MD, grapes and raisins are a choking hazard and contain a substance that can be poisonous to dogs. The exact toxin harmful to dogs is unknown, but grapes have a different effect on different breeds, so it’s probably safer to avoid feeding them to your dog altogether.
3 – Cooked Bones of Any Kind
It is perfectly fine to give your dog a raw, uncooked bone to chew on, but according to the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, cooked bones can splinter and cause a perforation of the gut, which can be fatal.
4 – Stuffing
Stuffing often contains – you guessed it – onions, garlic, and chives. These are some of the most harmful ingredients a dog can consume, so make sure your dog doesn’t get ahold of any stuffing this year.
5 – Desserts Containing Chocolate
If you’re familiar with any food that is harmful to dogs, it’s probably chocolate. Chocolate is toxic to dogs but very appealing to them, so be sure to keep it out of reach and warn your guests not to feed them any!
What foods are okay for dogs to eat on Thanksgiving?
1 - Sweet Potatoes
Yep, your dog can enjoy sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving! Sweet potatoes are actually a great source of fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and more. Make sure to cook them first and remove the skin, as skin can be a choking hazard and get stuck in their gastrointestinal tract.
Learn more about the benefits of sweet potatoes in our blog!
2 - Turkey
When cooked plain, turkey is a great source of protein and phosphorus. However, we all know Thanksgiving turkey is cooked with herbs, spices, butter, and more, so if you want your dog to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving turkey alongside your guests, be sure to feed it to them without all of the fancy stuff.
Learn more about the benefits of turkey in our blog!
3 - Pumpkin
Did you know that pumpkin is good for dogs? Pumpkin contains vitamins A, C, and E, as well as iron and potassium. It supports healthy digestion and can help with different conditions like acid reflux, constipation, anemia, and more. If you want your pup to enjoy pumpkin on Thanksgiving, you can try feeding them some treats that contain pumpkin as an ingredient or freeze pumpkin puree and let them enjoy it like ice cream. Be sure not to use pumpkin pie mix or pumpkin spice, as they contain nutmeg, which is toxic to dogs.
Check out our blog on pumpkin here
4 – Green Beans
Green beans of all types are safe for dogs as long as they are plain. Green beans are a great source of fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin B6, C, K, and A. Not only are they good for dogs, but dogs find them pretty tasty! You can give green beans to your pup frozen or raw, but make sure they aren’t covered in harmful spices or herbs.
5 – Frozen Yogurt
Did this one surprise you? According to the American Kennel Club, dogs can enjoy frozen yogurt as a dessert. Frozen yogurt can help your dog’s digestion and serve as a probiotic.
Plato Pet Treats Provides Tasty Treats All Dogs Can Enjoy
Your dog might not be able to enjoy the same Thanksgiving foods as you, but there are ways fido can feast too!
Try purchasing treats that contain ingredients like pumpkin, turkey, and cranberry so that your dog can snack on tasty treats while you enjoy your Thanksgiving favorites.
Here are a few options:
And check out more of our seasonal products:
These items are seasonal, so be sure to grab them while they’re available!
The Plato Pet Treats Cycle of Virtue
The Cycle of Virtue can be defined like this: a chain of events in which one desirable occurrence leads to another which further promotes the first occurrence and so on resulting in a continuous process of improvement. We love our pets and want to provide the best we can for them, and when we bless them in this way, they continue to bless us with a better quality of life and increased lifespan. This is a beautiful thing.
