Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to come together, give thanks and often enjoy a delicious meal. It’s also a time that pets may get into some problematic situations! Here are some helpful tips for keeping pets safe during your Thanksgiving celebration:

Pass (On) The Gravy

While roast turkey is a Thanksgiving classic for many, feeding your pet cooked turkey skin, fat, or gravy can cause some unintended issues. Fatty foods are hard for pets to digest and can even trigger pancreatitis, a condition with potentially serious implications. If you want to treat your pet to their own turkey meal, our Basic Turkey and Original Turkey Dinner are fantastic, pet-safe menu items. If you have a medium to large breed dog, Iron Will Raw Turkey Necks are another tasty option at mealtime. You can also treat your pet to uncooked turkey meat and gizzards. Yum!

We Have A Bone To Pick…With Cooked Bones

Never give your pet cooked bones! Cooked bones become brittle and are more likely to splinter and break than raw bones. Because of this, cooked bones are also more likely to cut or cause severe damage to your pet’s mouth, throat and/or intestines.

No Dough

If you’re baking up fresh bread at home, be sure to keep raw yeast dough away from pets. Eating raw yeast dough can cause painful gas and dangerous bloating for our furry friends.

Your Pet’s Already Sweet Enough

Pies and other desserts are sweet treats for humans, but they can be harmful if consumed by pets! Keep chocolate, foods high in sugar and xylitol (an artificial sweetener) out of reach of dogs and cats.

Pick Pet-Safe Plants

Some plants, such as amaryllis and hydrangeas, are toxic if ingested by our furry companions. Choose pet-safe plants for your decoration (like sunflowers) or ensure plants are not within reach of curious critters.

Table for one?

Filled with Thanksgiving scraps and cooked bones, garbage bags can look like a delicious invitation to some pets. Make sure your garbage bags and bins are secured and not left out in the open!

Pet-Safe Sides

Unseasoned cranberries, pumpkin, sweet potato and beets can be added to your pet’s meals in moderation as a holiday treat.

We hope you and your pets have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!