Can You Feed Holiday Leftovers to Your Dog? By The Blog Dog on August 04 @ 12:20AM

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With the holiday season ending and all your relatives packed off to go home, you'll probably be wondering what you're going to do with all the leftover food. From turkey to glazed ham, your fridge is bound to be overflowing with food and giving them to your dog seems like a really good idea. Just keep in mind that some foods might be unhealthy for your dog.

Some foods might be fatal to dogs, others are just plain unhealthy. Here's a list of leftovers you should avoid giving dogs:

• Chocolate – Anything that contains chocolate might be fatal for your dog, This is especially truer for baked forms as they tend to be deadlier than normal candy and over the counter sweets. Chocolate can increase a dog's heart rate and cause other problems, landing your poor pooch in the ER.
• Poultry Bones – Normal large bones are perfect for dogs but when feeding it leftovers, make sure there are bones present. Bones from poultry animals tend to be smaller and thinner, causing them to break easily and increasing the chances of it getting stuck in the dog's throat.
• Alliums – Alliums are a group of plants including onions, garlic, leeks etc that are not suitable for dogs. Small cooked portions are fine but avoid giving them large quantities. Alliums can cause toxic anemia in dogs – a condition where there are insufficient red blood cells. Turkey stuffing usually contains onions so keep it away from your dog.
• New food – If your dog is used to a certain diet, avoid introducing a bunch of new foods at the same time, Give it small, non-spicy portions of food that are low in fat content. Introducing new foods all at once can be disastrous and lead to gastrointestinal problems.
• Xylitol – Xylitol is a sugar substitute that is used by diabetics, while it is beneficial for humans, it can be fatal for dogs. A lot of sugar free desserts including cupcakes, candy and cakes, may also contain this chemical so make sure that you keep out of your pet's reach at all times.

Now that you know what kinds of food your dog can't have, here's a list of things that you can give, to make your pooch a happy one:• Meat (without external skin and bones)• Mashed potato• Macaroni and Cheese• Beans• Cranberry SauceKeep in mind that any extra ingredients that you've added to these dishes and check if it's okay to give to your dog. Look out for cheese, gravy, onions and sour cream.