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Thanksgiving Safety Tips
‘Tis the season for friends, family and
holiday feasts—but also for possible distress for our animal
companions. Pets won’t be so
thankful if they munch on undercooked turkey or a pet-unfriendly floral
arrangement, or if they stumble upon an unattended alcoholic
drink.
Check out the following tips from ASPCA experts for a
fulfilling Thanksgiving that your pets can enjoy, too.
Talkin’
Turkey
If you decide to feed your
pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked.
Don't offer her raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella
bacteria.
Sage
Advice
Sage can make your
Thanksgiving stuffing taste delish, but it and many other herbs contain
essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and
central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large
quantities. Cats are
especially sensitive to the effects of certain essential oils.
No Bread
Dough
Don't spoil your pet’s
holiday by giving him raw bread dough. According to ASPCA experts, when
raw bread dough is ingested, an animal's body heat causes the dough to
rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting,
severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become a life-threatening
emergency, requiring surgery.
Don't Let Them
Eat Cake
If you’re baking up
Thanksgiving cakes, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter,
especially if it includes raw eggs—they could contain salmonella bacteria
that may lead to food poisoning.
Too Much of a
Good Thing
A few small boneless pieces
of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie
shouldn’t pose a problem.
However, don't allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind
up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse—an inflammatory
condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it’s best keep
pets on their regular diets during the holidays.
A Feast Fit for
a Kong
While the humans are
chowing down, give your dog their own little feast. Offer them rawhide strips,
Nylabones or made-for-pet chew bones. Or stuff their usual
dinner—perhaps with a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet
potato or green beans) and dribbles of gravy—inside a Kong toy. They’ll be happily occupied for
awhile, working hard to extract their dinner from the toy.
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