Are you planning to include your furry friend in the Thanksgiving festivities? Be sure to check out our dog-friendly Thanksgiving guide to keep your four-legged companion safe and healthy. Learn which foods are a treat and which ones to avoid like the plague.
Safe, Healthy, and Delicious
Turkey: Fully-cooked, unseasoned turkey meat is a wonderful source of lean protein for your pup. It’s packed with iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, and B vitamins. Be mindful to skip the turkey skin, which is often seasoned with alliums (onions, scallions, leeks, and garlic), known to be toxic to dogs.
Baked or Boiled Potatoes: Plain baked or boiled potatoes are fine in moderation. They contain vitamin C, vitamin B6, iron, and magnesium—common ingredients in dry dog foods.
Broccoli / Brussel Sprouts: These green veggies are rich in vitamins (A,C) and disease-fighting phytochemicals. Steam some and add them to your dog’s meal for a low-calorie, nutritious boost.
Green Beans: Plain green beans provide fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium—making them a healthy addition to your dog’s meal. Ensure that no harmful ingredients, such as onions or pepper, were used in their preparation.
Plain Canned Pumpkin: Small amounts of plain canned pumpkin are beneficial for dogs. Besides its fiber content, which aids with diarrhea and constipation, it’s rich in beta-carotene.
Plain Sweet Potatoes: These offer dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and beta carotene, promoting your dog’s health.
Everything in Moderation
Cranberries / Cranberry Sauce: Raw and dried cranberries are acceptable in moderation. Steer clear of cranberry sauce and juice, as they may contain raisins (harmful), currants (harmful), and excessive sugar. Both homemade and store-bought cranberry sauce can be problematic due to the inclusion of raisins or currants (highly toxic to dogs) and high sugar levels. Cranberry juice may contain grape juice (grapes are a no-go for dogs).
Gravy: The acceptability of gravy depends. Natural juices from fully-cooked turkey can enhance your dog’s meal, but ensure that no toxic seasonings (onions, scallions, and pepper) were used during turkey preparation. It’s advisable to avoid store-bought gravy, which may contain various ingredients that could upset your pup’s stomach or worse.
Ham: While ham can be a tasty treat, exercise caution with the portion size. Although it provides iron and B vitamins, ham is high in salt, cholesterol, and fat, potentially contributing to obesity and causing stomach upset, vomiting, or diarrhea if overindulged.
Keep Your Dog Away from These Thanksgiving Dishes & Ingredients
Candied Sweet Potatoes and/or Sweet Potato Pie: These contain high levels of sugar and may include toxins like nutmeg. Ingested in significant quantities, nutmeg can harm dogs’ central nervous systems, leading to tremors, seizures, or even death.
Cooked Bones: Never feed your pets any cooked bones (turkey, ham, chicken, or fish), as these can easily splinter in their mouths and esophagi.
Cranberry Sauce & Cranberry Juice: Both homemade and store-bought cranberry sauce may contain raisins or currants (extremely toxic to dogs) and excessive sugar. Cranberry juice might include grape juice (grapes are harmful to dogs).
Mashed Potatoes: Plain baked potatoes are safe for dogs, but mashed potatoes typically contain butter, cream, salt, garlic, and chives (part of the onion family and toxic to dogs).
Pumpkin Pie: Avoid pumpkin pie, which generally contains nutmeg (toxic to dogs in large quantities), cream, and sugar.
Stuffing: Stuffing comprises a mix of potentially dog-toxic ingredients, such as onions, scallions, and peppers. It’s best to avoid sharing this side dish with your furry friend.
Questions? Comments? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment below.
