Holiday Season Treats: What CAN Your Pet Eat?
I don’t know about you, but as soon as Labor Day is over, I find myself gathering materials for Halloween costumes, preparing Thanksgiving dinner plans, and making Christmas Lists! The fall seems to blend together, and I think it has done so this year more than any other. Whatever holidays are being celebrated, I know your pets are included. And with so many social media posts about what you cannot feed your pets, I thought I would take the opposite position and list some healthy holiday foods you can share with your furry family members!
Please remember these are general recommendations. if your pet has an underlying disease or has been placed on a strict diet, these recommendations may not apply. Always discuss any new treats (human or otherwise) with your family veterinarian who knows your pet’s health history the best!
Turkey
I am just going to jump right in with my favorite Thanksgiving meal. My mom makes the best turkey and we have always shared the turkey meat with our pets. Some people will use the turkey giblets to make gravy, but then toss the organs when finished. Save them! The turkey neck, heart, and liver are full of nutrients for your pets. When finished cooking, chop up the giblets, refrigerate, and save as a food topping to give your pets throughout the week. Avoid the skin, bones, and feeding excessive amounts of dark meat as it is higher in fat than white meat. Turkey is a great source of protein, I even feed it to my cats!
Potatoes
Plain sweet potatoes are full of vitamin A and C, and can’t we all use a little vitamin boost this year? If you are making a sweet potato pie or simply baking yams, you can throw an extra one in the oven for the fur babies, but feed it to them before adding all the fun stuff, like butter, sugar, and cream. Baked potatoes are also a good choice, packing in Vitamin B, C, and potassium. Again, avoid feeding your pets the mashed variety we all love, as it packs too much added fat and can trigger pancreatitis and gastrointestinal upset.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Making a salad or cutting up veggies for a casserole? Save the odds and ends for your pet. You can feed them raw, or boil them in some of the water you used to cook the giblets for a flavorful food topping! Fresh or canned pumpkin puree is a great kibble topping and is full of fiber, Vitamin A, and antioxidants. Avoid feeding pumpkin pie mix, onions, garlic, leeks, avocados, grapes/raisins, and corn on the cob. Making an apple pie? You can certainly share a few apple slices with your fur baby, but avoid feeding the seeds an the core. Cranberries are a popular fruit this time of the year, and they are safe for dogs to consume in moderation. If your pup doesn’t chew the cranberries, you might want to mash them up or run them through the food processor to aide digestion.
Bone Broth
Have a turkey skeleton left over? Place the bones in a pot, fill with water, and put a top on the pot. Boil overnight on low heat. In the morning, strain the liquid to a large bowl and throw away the bones. Now you have a healthy, delicious turkey bone broth. Pour into ice cube trays and save as a treat for later.
I know the holidays are different this year. What isn’t really? But this is usually the time of the year veterinarians see a surge in pancreatitis due to pets getting into higher fat food than they are used to (gravy, bacon, turkey fat) and foreign body cases (bones, toys, trash, etc). People gather for the holidays, someone feeds the dog something they shouldn’t, and the rest is history. With many veterinary clinics and veterinary ERs overwhelmed, the last thing we want is to add to that burden with a sick pet. Take your pet for a long walk or hike a new trail, go to the park for a game of fetch or buy your cat a new toy. Enjoy the holidays by getting a lot of fresh air and keeping yours and your pet’s diet clean & healthy!
– Leigh Hofmeister, DVM