Thanksgiving Foods That Can Hurt Your Dog

Picture the moment. The turkey is resting on the counter, someone is mashing potatoes, a cousin is setting out the pies, and your dog has planted themselves in the exact middle of the kitchen floor. Nobody is watching the dog, because everybody is watching the food.

Then a guest slips a bite of stuffing under the table. Someone else drops a roll. By the time the plates are cleared, your dog has eaten their way through half the menu, one kind gesture at a time.

Most of us know chocolate is off limits. The rest of the Thanksgiving list is longer than people expect, and a lot of it hides inside dishes that look harmless.

The Turkey Itself: Skin, Bones and Gravy

According to the AKC, plain turkey meat is fine for most dogs, as long as it has no seasoning, no skin and no bones. The trouble is that holiday turkey almost never comes plain.

Skin and gravy. Both carry a lot of fat and cooking oil. The AKC warns that fatty food can trigger pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas, along with plain old stomach upset.

Bones. Cooked poultry bones can splinter and injure your dog's mouth and digestive tract. That includes the carcass in the kitchen trash. The ASPCA recommends getting rid of trash regularly, so take the bag out right after dinner and do not leave it by the back door.

Stuffing, Sides and the Bread Basket

Onions and garlic. The AKC lists onions, scallions and garlic as toxic to dogs, and the ASPCA notes they show up in a lot of Thanksgiving dishes. Stuffing is the usual culprit.

Raw yeast dough. If you bake your own rolls, keep the rising dough out of reach. The ASPCA explains that dough keeps expanding in the stomach and causes painful bloating, and the yeast produces alcohol that the dog absorbs.

Bouillon and stock cubes. The ASPCA points out that these contain so much sodium they can cause stomach problems and even seizures.

Grapes and raisins. Both are toxic to dogs, says the AKC, so watch the cheese board and anything with raisins baked in.

Desserts and Drinks

Chocolate. The ASPCA lists vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors and seizures among the effects.

Sugar free desserts. These are the sneaky ones. Many use xylitol, which the ASPCA says can cause low blood sugar, liver damage or death in dogs. Ask guests who bring a dessert whether it is sugar free, and keep it on a high shelf if it is.

Alcohol. The AKC is clear that alcoholic drinks are dangerous for dogs.

Guest medication. The ASPCA suggests keeping visitors' pills up and out of reach, so offer guests a closet or a high shelf for their bags.

What Your Dog Can Have

None of this means your dog has to watch the feast with nothing. The AKC names a handful of plain foods that most dogs handle well in small amounts:

Turkey meat with no skin, bones or seasoning. Sweet potatoes and potatoes, boiled or baked, with nothing added. Green beans and peas, plain. Apple slices, cut away from the core and seeds. Pure pumpkin puree, not pie filling.

Set a small portion aside before anything gets buttered or seasoned. If your dog has a sensitive stomach or a health condition, ask your vet first.

If Your Dog Gets Into Something

Call your vet or an emergency vet right away, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888 426 4435. Do not wait for symptoms to show up. Tell them what your dog ate, roughly how much, and when.

Then make the plan before Thursday. The ASPCA suggests giving your dog a quiet room with a blanket or bed, away from the noise. A puzzle toy keeps them busy while the table is full.

Walk It Off Together

Here is our favorite Thanksgiving tradition. Before guests arrive, take your dog on a long walk so they are tired and calm when the doorbell starts ringing. After dinner, clip the leash back on and go again. It gets your dog away from the table, and it gets you away from the dishes.

One more Austin habit worth keeping: with guests coming and going, the front door opens all day. Make sure your dog's collar, with your phone number on it, is on before the first knock.

Our Autumn Meadow collar and matching six foot leash are made to order in Austin, ready for the walk after the feast.

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Autumn Meadow Collar and Leash

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A portion of every LUCKY+DOG sale goes to no kill shelters and rescue groups. So this Thanksgiving, keep the stuffing on the table, take the trash out early, and save the last walk of the night for the two of you.