I can tell Shadow is up to something. He keeps walking through the kitchen with his nose in the air. I’m sure he’s seen that big bird in the oven and I know he smells it. Every year, we get a few pieces of the turkey.  I hope it happens soon, it’s “better than snuff”.*

Foods dogs should avoid during Thanksgiving dinner

By the way, did ya’ll know that there are a lot of things during Thanksgiving that dogs can’t eat? Some examples that can frequently be found at the dinner table are listed below.

Too much turkey

Too much turkey can cause dog gastric distress. This never bothered me much but it can be a quick ticket out of the house and into the back yard.

Turkey Skin

Turkey skin has a lot of fat. Excess fat can cause dog pancreatitis (dog vomiting and dehydration are not fun at all)

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Turkey Bones

Turkey bones are similar to chicken bones. They can splinter and cause a dog intestinal blockage or cause an intestinal perforation.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg can cause tremors, central nervous system deterioration and possibly death.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sweetener made from sugar alcohol. It can be found in chewing gum and candy, but also in some baking ingredients used at Thanksgiving. Xylitol is safe for humans, but can be extremely toxic to dogs. If a dog eats a product with Xylitol, it may cause an excess of insulin created in the pancreas, dog vomiting and seizures. As little as three grams of Xylitol can be enough to kill a 60 pound dog.

Chocolate

Chocolate contains theobromine which is toxic to dogs if they eat enough of it. The good news is that it takes a large amount of theobromine to cause a reaction. For more information, see Chocolate Toxicity in Dogs.

Macadamia Nuts

According to my research, researchers do not know what causes macadamia nuts to be toxic to dogs. However, depending on the size of the dog, as few as six nuts can be toxic. The symptoms of macadamia nut poisoning can be dog vomiting, abdominal pain, stiffness, pale gums, difficulty in movement, tremors and depression.

Onions

If dogs eat too many onions, raw or cooked, they can get hemolytic anemia. Most dogs can handle small quantities of onions without any issues. However, it can prove toxic with whole onions or a chopped portion around a cup or more.

Garlic

Large quantities of garlic can be toxic similar to onions.

Grapes and Raisins

Feeding dogs grapes and raisins is generally not a good idea. Some dogs can handle eating grapes, but others can’t. For those that have a problem, renal failure is a possibility. Dog vomiting and diarrhea are the first systems of toxicity with raisins or grapes. Acute renal failure can occur within 48 hours of first systems. For more information, see Grape and raisin toxicity in dogs from Wikipedia.

Dispose of the remains properly

First, make sure when you take the turkey out of the oven, dispose of all of the stuff that comes with it. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but all the grease and fat in the bottom of the aluminum foil pan that you leave on the top of the garbage can, can quickly become ours. Let’s face, we can’t help ourselves. Pups, resist the urge to eat that stuff. It will only make you sick later.

What can my dog do while we eat Thanksgiving dinner?

I’m going to try and distract Shadow when the turkey is taken out of the oven. Hopefully, I can keep him from getting his nose burned.

So, what can you do while the humans are at the dinner table? Go find your favorite toy and enjoy it. Do not beg at the table. I, for one, am far too civilized to beg for food from the human guests, and you should be too.

I hope if any humans are reading this, ya’ll have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I’m going to go sneak a nice turkey bone and enjoy it in my bed (just kidding).

Happy Thanksgiving,

Abigail and Shadow

* This reference was from Chris’ Grandfather that passed away this year. Whenever the family would get together for a big meal, his would alway say, “that was better than snuff”, at the end. Since no one in the family (other than him) has tried snuff, we’ll take his word for it.
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