Thanksgiving is great for spending extra time at home with your
furry friends, but beware -- sometimes all the excitement and
fatty foods can lead to a stomach ache. As you prepare for your
Turkey Day feast, keep the following Thanksgiving safety tips
in mind. You’ll be sure to have a happy holiday with your cat
or dog.
Thanksgiving Foods Can Be Hazardous to Pets
Unfortunately, holiday foods are full of hidden dangers, and
some are poisonous to cats and
dogs. Foods like onion, garlic,
grapes, xylitol sweetener, salt, chocolate, raw bread dough,
and alcohol are all bad news for cats and dogs. Even if you
avoid these foods, feeding lots of high-fat table scraps can
lead to a stomach upset or
vomiting. Turkey and chicken have
other hidden risks, like the hollow bones that can splinter if
eaten, and cause major damage.
It's better to save the good stuff for yourself and let your
pet stick to their normal diet. Avoid sharing table scraps and
never give your pet poultry bones. If you want to include your
pet in the holiday meal, look for special pumpkin or sweet
potato pet treats. Or instead of focusing on food, take the
opportunity to go on a couple more walks while you're at home
and make it a healthy holiday for your pet.
Managing Visitors and Potential Stress
This is the time of year to make sure your pet’s collar, with ID tag, is always on. Frequent
visitors can be stressful for
pets and the coming and going can lead to runaways. Make
sure your cat or dog is secure when you answer the door and do
some hand-smelling introductions to keep pets relaxed. It also
helps if there's a back room or quiet space your pet can escape
to if they're stressed. Be sure to remind your visitors you are
a table-scraps-free house—no matter how cute your dog is when
they beg.
Clean-up Care around the Trash
Garbage never smells as good as around Thanksgiving. At least,
to your pets. Make sure that you secure all garbage after
cleaning up to avoid your dog or cat getting into it. Spoiled
food, or even food left out for a couple hours, can make your
pet sick. Pets could also eat aluminum foil and wax paper if
food is stuck on it, causing major problems and blockages. To
stay safe, keep the lid on your trash can and your pet engaged
elsewhere.
Toys to Entertain and Distract
Instead of feeding scraps, spoil your pet with a new toy—maybe even one that dispenses
treats while they play with it! With a fun new distraction,
your pet can stay occupied while you're entertaining guests.
With some holiday pumpkin treats,
a place to rest, and a new toy, your cat or dog will be plenty
thankful, and won’t even miss the table scraps.
Here’s how to have a safe and fun Thanksgiving with your
dog
Thanksgiving can be a stressful time, what with cooking the
turkey just right to entertaining a more than usual number of
house-guests. It can be easy to overlook your pet’s needs what
with all of these other things demanding your attention.
However, in order to prevent any untoward incident involving
your pet, it is necessary that you keep an eye out for your
dog. Make sure he/she doesn’t swallow any food i.e. harmful for
them or get too worked up about all of these new people
crowding your house. Here, we share some tips and suggestions
on how to have a fun Thanksgiving with your dog –
-
Play with
him – Take him out for a walk, play fetch, spend
his energy somehow. A tired dog is calm and peaceful. He/she
won’t be much trouble for your guests.
-
Keep his water bowl
full – Make sure your dog is hydrated. Check the
level of water in his bowl and refill it from time to time.
If there are other dogs slated to come over, set up multiple
hydrating stations so none of them run out of water to drink.
-
Don’t feed him
Thanksgiving food – You may be tempted to share
scraps from your plate with your four-legged buddy, don’t.
Your dogs stomach is not equipped to digest your Thanksgiving
turkey well. It will only lead to gastrointestinal
complications for him/her.
-
Try to keep him
relaxed – Dogs can develop constipation due to
all the holiday stress. Travelling magnifies this. So if you
don’t absolutely have to drive your dog with you to your
relatives, leave them at home. If your dog is not fond of
strangers, let him be by himself and don’t force him to
interact with your guests. Also, keep your own stress level
down. Your mood can affect your canine’s mood. If you’re
stressed out, they will be too.
-
Keep your dog
safe – With your guests constantly coming in and
out the door, it might be a good idea to secure your dog in
his space. He may decide to slip out unsuspected and get hit
by traffic. Most dog-related incidents during Thanksgiving
involve road accidents which occur when dogs escape their
homes.
-
Keep your Thanksgiving
meal refuse out of your trash bins – Your dog may
reach it and find him/herself leftover turkey bone to chew
on. It may splinter/puncture their digestive tract.
Conclusion
Sure, Thanksgiving is a busy time. However, don’t neglect your
dog. Make sure he feels safe and comforted. Keep away food i.e.
poisonous for him and allow him space to retreat to if he feels
overwhelmed. Follow these steps and you’re sure to have a happy
thanksgiving!
More on Pet Safety
Pet Safety and Household Cleaning
Products
Your Pet Emergency
Checklist
5 Tips for Dog Safety
Around the House
This information is for informational
purposes only and is not meant as a substitute for the
professional advice of, or diagnosis or treatment by, your
veterinarian with respect to your pet. It has, however, been
verified by a licensed veterinarian for accuracy.
