Thanksgiving Staples that are Hazards to Pups

Happy Thanksgiving from Camp McDonald Animal Hospital!  We have so much to be thankful for, we are sure you do too.  Enjoy your holiday and keep your pets away from the Thanksgiving Day feast.

Have you heard of Bark Box before?  Several of our team's dogs get one delivered every month.  Gina says "Olive" knows its for her before she even gets it in the front door.   Its a box full of fun new toys and treats arriving monthly on your door step.  Check out their website here.  

Our holiday safety tips come straight from the Bark Box website this time.  Check them out:

‘Tis the season for sharing and caring. But if you care for your dog, here are 11 things you will NOT share with them on Thanksgiving.

Note: This list comes from the ASPCA’s list of hazardous foods for dogs. Of course, some dogs have stomachs of steel and can eat everything from light bulbs to onion sandwiches, but this list is for folks who want to be extra careful. 

1. Salty Turkey Skin

Your Thanksgiving turkey will be basted in a number of tasty herbs and spices, like sage or dill, which are bad for your dog’s tummy. The fatty skin, added salty brine, and added butter isn’t very good for dogs either. When they start throwing the puppy dog eyes, you can give those pups a tiny piece of turkey breast though!

2. Turkey Bones

When the turkey’s gone, the bones that remain are NOT a good chew toy for your dog. They are brittle choking hazards that easily splinter if chewed.

3. Stuffing

This Thanksgiving staple often contains onions, which poison dogs’ blood cells.

4. Garlic Bread

Garlic is a member of the onion family (as far as dogs are concerned), so this is also bad for their blood.

5. Fruit Salad

A good rule of thumb is to not feed dogs fruit with seeds or pits. These inflame doggie intestines. Yuck! So, no plums, peaches, or grapes. That includes raisins!

6. Sausage

Sausage is more than meat. Sausage also contains, onions, garlic, and a bunch of other ingredients we’ve already mentioned.

7. Pecan Pie

Dogs shouldn’t be eating dessert anyway, but nuts can cause muscle spasms and weakness of the legs for up to 48 hours. Walnuts and macadamia nuts are the worst.

8. Booze

Whether wine or beer, alcohol is simply not good for dogs. Grapes and hops are both toxic to dogs, and so is the alcohol itself.

9. Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Pie

This one’s tricky. Both pumpkin and sweet potatoes are good for dogs. But for Thanksgiving many people add cinnamon and nutmeg to their pumpkin or sweet potato dishes which isn’t so great for our pups.

10. Ice Cream

Just like humans, some pups handle dairy just fine– others get a tummyache. It really depends on your pup.

11. Moldy Foods

I’m sure you don’t intend to feed your dog moldy, rotted food, so what I’m really trying to say is watch your dog around your overflowing trashcan. Moldy foods produce harmful mycotoxins, which just sound scary and do serious damage to your dog’s health.

For more food hazards check with the ASPCA.