The Joys of Spoiling Your Pets
Spoiling your pets is fun for everyone – you, your family, and most importantly, your furry friends! It comes in the form of a fluffy, new bed, brushes, fun little outfits, or sometimes, yummy table scraps. It’s no secret pet owners often enjoy sharing their yummy treats with their furry loved ones. Although, you may not realize some of those table scraps may be dangerous foods for your pets!
Unfortunately, not all treats that us humans enjoy are safe for those beloved pets to eat. There are plenty of dangerous foods for your pet that can make them very ill, or worse. With the upcoming holidays, we urged you to do plenty of research on the food you’re making and be mindful of what you give to your pets!
Thanksgiving: Foods to Avoid
Obviously, the most common food found around Thanksgiving is a nice, juicy turkey cooked to perfection. It’s crucial, however, to avoid letting your pet chew on turkey bones and skin, because the fat in the skin can cause gastrointestinal distress for critters like dogs and the bones can splinter or be very sharp, which risks perforation of their organs.
Another possibly unexpected set of dangerous foods for your pet would be dairy products such as butter, cheese, and ice cream. For example, plain mashed potatoes should be fine, but as they often include butter and milk they’re best avoided. Adult cats and dogs lack the proper enzyme to digest dairy, which can cause problems with digestion.
Christmas: Foods to Avoid
The holidays are filled with delicious foods, but a common everyday fruit to avoid are raisins or grapes. These contain a form of acid that has been found to be toxic in dogs particularly, but has also been found in cats and ferrets, too. Onions, shallots, and garlic have a similar toxic effect on your furry loved ones and have been found to be a very dangerous food for your pets!
Another section of foods to avoid is anything that contains gravy, as it tends to be very high in fat and salt, which is very unhealthy for your pets. Another surprisingly dangerous food for your pets are nuts, including macadamia nuts and walnuts – commonly used in Christmas cooking and desserts. Additionally, anything cooked with nutmeg is considered a seriously dangerous food, as it’s poisonous to them and can result in tremors and seizures.
Hanukkah: Foods to Avoid
There are quite a few unique but dangerous food items on a traditional Hanukkah meal list, but not all of them can be digested well by your furry friends! One prominent food to avoid is latkes, as they are fried in oil and often made with onions. As with the other major holidays, there are also many desserts to avoid such as sufganiyot due to them being dried and their sugar content.
A common celebratory sweet treat us humans love around this time of year is gelt – gold covered chocolate coins. As you’ve probably heard before, chocolate is no good for any pet as it causes at best vomiting and diarrhea, and worst case even death in some cases; the wrapping can also cause blockages in the GI track. Finally, it may not be a food, but be careful when spinning the dreidel because it’ll be no fun if your critter starts chewing on it!
New Year’s: Foods to Avoid
Much like the dreidel at Hanukkah, New Year’s, decorations (any decorations really) need to be monitored so you know critters such as dogs aren’t chewing them up and getting them stuck in their throats! Also, we must be careful to avoid any contact with potential fireworks as those are extremely toxic when ingested. As we stated before, things such as candy or chocolate can have terrible effects on your pets, and those food groups are often seen around this time of year.
One of the main concerns for this holiday is alcohol – it affects them like humans but also severely lowers their body temperature/blood sugar which can lead to comas or seizures. Heavily processed and salty meats can cause your animals to get very sick as they’re also high in fat content. Other dangerous drinks for your four-legged friends are coffee or tea; they can cause gastric irritation and irregular heartbeats, which can be hard on your pet long-term.
Vets Are Serious About Dangerous Foods for Your Pets
We know how tempting it is to allow your dogs, cats, and other beloved pets to share in the festivities, but you have to be careful what you allow them to have! It’s crucial to do any research possible to understand what dangerous foods for different animals you may have are. There are plenty of options – the meat from turkey, for example, should be fine in moderation!
We love our furry patients, and we know you love them, too – which is why we care so deeply about their well-being. As a vet clinic we strive to educate the public on proper pet care, and to avoid seeing any critters come in for anything other than a standard check up. If you have questions about dangerous foods for your pet, just ask! At Old Dominion Vet you know your pets are in the best hands, and we will continue to help you learn and grow as a loving pet owner!