The Ultimate Guide to Feeding Your Pet During the Holidays
When it comes to rich holiday foods, you probably already know that you should be mindful of what’s on your plate. All those sugar cookies and gingerbread men really add up. You should also pay close attention to what you’re feeding your pets during this time of year. Some foods you may think are okay for your animals to eat, might actually upset their stomachs. Here’s our guide to feeding your pet during the holidays!
Fatty Meat
Small lean cuts of meat are okay to serve to your pets. However, you need to be wary of animal fat and you can’t feed your pets real bones. These can splinter and harm your cats and dogs. These rules apply to any kind of meat, such as ham, turkey, duck, prime rib or lamb.
Pumpkin Pie
It’s fine to feed your pets certain plain fruits (including cooked pumpkin!), but you can’t serve animals any kind of pie. These desserts are full of sugar, spices and various fillers that aren’t good for their digestive systems.
Latkes
Pets can’t eat raw or fried potatoes, like latkes (potato pancakes), a Hanukkah favorite. Animals also can’t consume garlics and onions, which are frequently included in latkes. However, pets can eat cooked plain potatoes, such as baked and broiled potatoes. This food just needs to be free of all spices and toppings.
Hanukkah Gelt
You probably already know that chocolate is toxic to pets, but it’s worth repeating. In fact, chocolate is so poisonous, that it can even be fatal. Call your veterinarian or an emergency animal hospital immediately if your pet consumes any.
Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies are another food that you shouldn’t feed your pets. They’re loaded with sugar and fat that will likely upset your pet’s delicate gastrointestinal system.
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
As stated earlier, it’s okay to feed your pets plain baked potatoes with no toppings. On the other hand, mashed potatoes with gravy and all kinds of other fixings can upset your pet’s stomach so stay away!
Kugel
Kugel isn’t good for cats and dogs. This fact is especially true of raisins found in kugel. Dogs who consume raisins can go into acute kidney failure so contact your vet if you suspect your pet has eaten any.
Candy Canes
Candy canes are a staple during the holiday season. They’re practically their own food group throughout the month of December! We all know that candy isn’t great for us though, and it’s bad for our pets too.
Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is another food you shouldn’t feed your pets. Even feeding your dog a large amount of plain cranberries can cause them to develop calcium oxalate stones in their bladder. Cranberry sauce itself is full of sugar and other fillers. Also some recipes include raisins which are highly toxic to dogs!
Green Bean Casserole
Plain green beans are safe for your pets to eat and full of valuable iron and vitamins. However, green bean casserole contains onions which are poisonous to pets. These casseroles are also made with cream of mushroom soup which contains dairy and fillers which aren’t good for your animals.
Gingerbread
Gingerbread, like sugar cookies, is loaded with sugar and fat. Unfortunately, it’s also full of spices that are also likely to do harm to your pet. We recommend that gingerbread stay far away from your animal’s food bowl.
Sweet Potato Pie
Pets can eat baked sweet potatoes as a fun treat, as long as they are free of any toppings. Sweet potato pie, though, should be off limits. Just like pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie is full of sugar, spices and fillers that are harmful to pets.
So remember: Treats are probably best to keep on your plate and not in your pet’s food bowl. When in doubt, stick to pet-safe food and treats that you’re 100% sure won’t upset their tummy. Have a safe and happy holiday!
