Stuff the Turkey, Not the Dog: 10 Things to Hide from Your Pet this Thanksgiving
We all know how hard it can be to resist those begging eyes and that furry face you can deny nothing on any given day, and on Thanksgiving – with the fragrant smell of that really rich dinner swimming throughout the house – the temptation can be that much worse. But this year, do your dog a favor and keep her away from the items listed below. Pookie Dearest might be miffed for the evening, but her stomach will thank you the next day.
1. Turkey Skin – On its own, turkey skin can be fatty and hard to digest, but on Thanksgiving it’s particularly bad (just think of the butter, oils and spices rubbed into it). If you must share the turkey with your dog, do peel the skin off and cut the meat up into bite-sized pieces. And consider choosing the white meat over the dark for your pooch – it’s a little blander and easier to digest.
2. Cooked Bones - Whether your bird is duck, goose or turkey, do not give the bones to your dog. Any dog cartoon features Fido carrying a bone around in his mouth, but the reality is that a cooked bone is often brittle and sharp pieces can get lodged in your pet’s intestine. And bird bones are hollow and break easily.
3. Gravy/Buttery Side Dishes - This one goes hand-in-hand with the turkey skin. Fatty foods and trimmings can cause pancreatitis in dogs at worst and diarrhea or vomiting at “best.” ThePoop.com suggests substituting gravy with a little turkey broth if you really want to give your pup a treat.
4. Aluminum Foil and Plastic Wrap – Dispose of these when you’re done with them. There are two risks here: one, your pet will be licking the fatty substances off the wrappings, and two, swallowing these can cause an intestinal obstruction.
5. Chocolate - Not that we think that you would intentionally feed your dog chocolate (which we all know can be toxic to our canine friends), but since candy is often left out on tables for guests during the holidays, it made the list. Be sure to keep bowls filled with chocolate out of reach.
6. The Garbage Pail – A frustrated pet who can’t get a scrap out of his usually-generous parents may be tempted to dig around the trash bin and find a good number of the items listed above.
7. The Kitchen – Thanksgiving can be the busiest day of the year for the kitchen, and you’ll want to keep your pup out of there. With hot dishes being whisked from one counter to the next, there’s a chance a dog that’s under foot could be burned or cut if something were to shatter.
8. Holiday Plants – Sure it’s Thanksgiving, but a good number of people have already decked the halls with holly by this time. Know that Poinsettias, holly berries, mistletoe and Cedar Christmas trees are toxic to dogs.
9. Decorations – Glass ornaments and candles are just begging for trouble. Like the chocolate, keep these out of reach.
10. Guests Who Mean Well – Educate your less pet-savvy visitors (and hey, maybe even send them this list). A child may accidentally feed a dog some chocolate and your great aunt might think she’s being nice by sharing her turkey skin.
Gravy causing pancreatitus? I agree with the cooked chicken bones and the kitchen being a potential war zone on Thanksgiving day, but isn’t gravy causing vomiting and pancreatitus stretching it a bit?
According to human doctors pancreatitus can be caused in RARE cases by high levels of fat in the BLOOD, not one fatty meal. With all the possible factors like genetic predisposition and medications isn’t it a little premature to point the finger at gravy (or the occasional fatty morsal) as the culprit for pancreatitus.
Also, if this is true wouldn’t the people who place wild Alaskan salmon oil on their dogs food be sentencing them to certain death. That is 100% fat as opposed to gravy where most of the layer of fat is removed before serving.
Pancreatitis, My little yorkie had it..and I didnt know the symptoms to look for..but I noticed when he went to the bathroom something wasnt right.SO took him to the vet..his tummy was swollen and other things that the vet noticed..DID the blood work, and bingo Pancreatitis.. IT cost me over 400 dollars to treat. And that was the cheap way, of doing it at home and running him to the vets office everyday at noon to check his stats. More expensive way was to keep him at the vet s office for treatment. My dog didnt get human food..Except for a fragment of rice, perhaps a fingernail size of whole grain bread and maybe a small half a noodle while sitting at the table at our dinner time. I personally feel he got this due to him being a Garbage picker..always knocking over the kitchen wastebasket while we were away..and forgot to put it up. He did eat some candy and some chocolate..but not a bunch. He acts like he never got fed.. I do Agree that something so Fatty such as GRAVY at the holiday time is not GOOD for the dogs..Fish oils are different, Natural ingredients..not like gravy…where we add items to it.. Think about how stuffed we feel after Thanksgiving dinner..and imagine a small dog getting ahold of the Gravy bowl.. WOW it cant be good. Needless to say..the Vet said..it could come back again..or he may never be bothered by it again. IM hoping for the latter… as my check book cant afford that treatment again.
Very good advice indeed. Though we do feed small amounts of raw turkey skin to the dogs on thanksgiving, as long as it’s in moderation there’s nothing wrong with a small amount of raw poultry skin.
Last year my step kids lab ate a whole flat of uncooked dinner rolls. Obviously they expanded into her stomach and Fudge didn’t survive. So for the sake of your pet keep your uncooked dinner rolls far and away.
Thanks for this advice! This is why we keep Angel in her crate. And we aren’t generous with her…maybe a piece of hot dog every now and then, if she’s lucky.
If you follow multiple dogs with pancreatitis you will find that the triggers are many and unpredictable.
ALWAYS consult your veterinarian in regards to ANY VETERINARY CONDITION.
Last Thanksgiving my sister helped me cook.
I did not know she was feeding my dog turkey until the next day, he was sick, and for four days after that.
This Thanksgiving it will be different.
NO TABLE FOOD
Oh Alex , ye of little education or experience with animals. Being a vet tech for 30 yrs. and working part time in an emergency clinic let me tell you gravy can indeed cause pancreatitis.It also depends on the breed of dog. The rule NOTHING from the table is a rule to follow. I see it time and again. That leftover meal you feed your dog, even gravy on his regular food, can be a $2,000 plus vet bill no one needs. We had a pomeranian that would get it from a small piece of pizza crust.. grandkids kept dropping it to him, and next day here he comes..
Some breeds are more prone to pancreatitis as well. I know that shelties are. A dear friend lost her beautiful 6 year old sheltie after it spent the weekend with grandma and grandpa. Seems they fed her some ham, that was enough to triger pancreatitis and although the vet worked very hard to save her they could not. What a way to learn that lesson.
So, why chance it? My three shelties will get a small amount of white turkey meat with their dinner but they will be safe in their crates while I’m cooking and serving dinner.
Have a great holiday everyone!
This Thanksgiving I will personally break the neck of anyone who disobeys my distinct order (which I’ve been repeating for years now) and feeds our kids anything from the table! Really! It’s not funny and dogs have very different digestion systems than humans. I have no patience for people who think dogs are just trash compactors or disposal systems. Can you tell I’m angry? We may be dining out this year….
What about the hazards from dressing your dog up? Food hazards, sure. But you accompany the story with dogs ‘dressed’ and posed in ways they just shouldn’t be. Shame on you!
hopefully the doggie recipe i make for my chihuahua is really dog friendly..
we have an 11 yr old doxie and a mixed breed cat. Last year we gave them a small amt (tsp) of mashed potatoes, dressing and green peas, neither had any ill efects, if they had they would not get it again, we did not give them any gravy so thx to all of you for that tip.
We’ve always made stock the day after Thanksgiving after cleaning the meat from the bone. The dog gets whatever is left after straining the stock — includes lots of vegetables. Bare bones and bay leaves go in the trash. The stock itself yields a lot of fat, which also goes in the trash. Never thought I could be harming him.
Thank you
I always appreciate your tips
I knew most of these,but it’s always great to get a reminder nothing would spoil a holiday like our beloved pets getting sick
smochie kisses from ASTA and Mommi
You are what you eat. Don’t be a turkey Fido.
Wow, I guess we’ve been lucky – our two doggies mooch constantly. We often give them the leftovers, but we do not indulge in fatty foods ourselves. We are careful not to include anything wih onions, we know that’s poisonous to canines. And chocolate, too. Rememering their tummies
are small and sensitive, and being careful about where the food is left (is it accessible to meat eaters?) goes a long way towards your pet’s safety.
Add raw bread dough made with yeast to the list – It expands in the stomach and as it ferments can cause inebriation, alcohol poisoning and alkalosis.
From the Merck Vet manual: The warm, moist environment of the stomach serves as an efficient incubator for the replication of yeast within the dough. The expanding dough mass causes distention of the stomach, resulting in vascular compromise to the gastric wall similar to that seen in gastric dilatation/volvulus. With sufficient gastric distention, respiratory compromise occurs. Yeast fermentation products include ethanol, which is absorbed into the bloodstream, resulting in inebriation and metabolic acidosis.
Wow… I knew that poinsettias are toxic to cats (and therefore never get them) but had no idea the same was true of dogs… also surprised about the cedar trees (my hubby will be disappointed).
As for table food, our two pups don’t get “people food” at all… we figure better safe than sorry. Anyone who gives it to them gets a major earful from whoever catches them!
The person who wrote in about the dog eating the uncooked rolls… that’s so awful. That must have been really difficult for you & your stepkids.
It is important to note that in order for a dog to become ill from a poinsettia, the dog would have to eat multiple plants, and even then they are not deadly as often imagined, they will cause nothing more than diarrhea and vomitting.
Also, if your gravy is so fat that it can give your dog pancreaitus, no one should be eating it, including you and your guests!
I think there is *some* good advice here, but I also think it’s leaning more toward pure-bred and small breed dogs, who are more prone to these types of problems.
I would like to see added to holiday “be careful” lists the hazard of a pet getting loose due to guests going in and out of the house/yard.
Most non-dog/pet owners are not aware of where an animal is as they go in and out of doors.
Luckily, I live by myself and don’t bother cooking a turkey. I don’t even like turkey. However, last night I did make roast venison and shared bits of it with my 6 Jacks. They all got about a piece the size of a tablespoon. Today, they are all alive and very well, jumping around and chasing each other. My dogs very seldom get table food of any sort. The vets at the clinic are amazed at their ages (10 – 14 yrs old) and the terrific physical condition they are in.
YES, Alex, those things can cause pancreatitis! I am a CVT and cannot tell you how many pancreatitis cases I see.
Thanks so much for specifying that it is COOKED bones that are the danger! Most lists just say bones period. The pups in our house will be having a raw turkey of our own! And maybe some homemade mini doggy pumpkin treats!
Can I add one more thing?
11. DO NOT DRESS YOUR DOG UP IN THESE RIDICULOUS OUTFITS!
Jeez….. poor humiliated pooches.
Tips are always handy! thanks a lot
Thanks so much for sharing these! I love to spread the word to my friends because once the deed is done, it can be too late.
All dogs are prone to many diseases it doesnt discriminate from purebred to mutt. USE extreme caution..when it comes to feeding your pet.
Wild Wolves, and wild animals do eat raw meat…and chew on bones and many other things that we wouldnt give our pets. I guess if you want to feed your dog the things wild animals eat, perhaps you should get a wolf.
anyway ya slice it..have a Happy turkey day!
The outfits in the pictures look like they were added later using Photoshop, so I don’t think any dogs were humiliated for these photos!
Instead of feeling guilty for not giving treats for Thanksgiving try raw green beans and carrots with a little bit of white turkey meat.. They love them and it’s good for them. Hope you all have a safe and happy Turkey Day
I’m with Kristy. If you are one of those people that say “wild wolves, dogs or other eat raw meat and bones…..it’s okay to give it to your domestic animals”. Have you also done a study on how long these wild animals live? Hmmmmm?
The advice is great but I just wanted to comment on the adorable whippets (or greyhounds) that are dressed up as turkeys.
Happy Thanksgiving from us and our two loving whippets, Devo and Marlo!
Lisa
Why not dress them up? They’re cute and don’t mind. Mine love her dresses.
Two years ago my mom watched my Yorkie the day after Thanksgiving and unbeknownst to be threw a platter of leftover turkey on the floor and let the dog and her two cats “have at it”. Very luckily my dog didn’t end up with pancreatitis but he did have explosive diarrhea and vomiting for two days that actually ruined a pair of curtains, caused an expensive vet bill for dehydration and dog food and put the poor guy through a lot of discomfort. Just say no to fatty foods!
Side note: can you imagine what this food does to our bodies?? Yuck.
Love the pictures. The advice is good and certainly important to share. However, the truth is most of us will in fact share some of Thanksgiving dinner with our pups. Some of will face hefty vet bills for our folly; most of us won’t. Moderation, and maybe some tips on the best of what not to feed would be helpful. There is so much advise on what not to do with our pups, what makes our pups happy, what is in the best interest of the pup. For heaven’s sake maybe feeding a bite of turkey and a dash of gravy is fun for the OWNER–sweet potatoes with a little tiny marshmallow…dog ownership should be fun!
PS @Andrew–we can only guess your pup is not getting a snuggie as a present this Holiday season!
These are all good holiday reminders and I’m always grateful to the news media when they spend a moment to remind the irresponsible pet owners of these things (most of them wouldn’t be on this website).
I would like to take this opportunity to point out something that alot of you should be doing for your dog everyday. Unless you dog is a Chihuahua or other small toy breed,
YOU SHOULD BE FEEDING THEM FROM A BOWL ON A RAISED SURFACE (on steps or a milk crate) OR FROM AN ELEVATED FEEDER !!!
It doesn’t have to be a fancy one out of a pet catalog or from a petstore – my dad made one for his “grandkids” out of scrap pieces of wood.
THIS INCLUDES THEIR WATER BOWL AS WELL!
It is CRUCIAL for those of you with the BIG breeds:
Mastiffs, Great Danes, Rottweillers, Sheepdogs, Newfoundlands, Saint Bernards, etc., as well as the skinny but tall breeds: Afgans, Greyhounds, etc.
Even those with Akitas and Labradors!
Not enough room here to explain all the why’s and how’s but TRUST ME – either ask your vet or your breeder or feel free to email me (eagledaughter@hotmail.com) and I’d be happy to share with you what I had to learn the hardway.
Hug your Big Babies for me!
In memory of my Mastiff – UZE
~DeeAnn Eagleson~
“DADDY”: I would advise NOT giving even the tiniest morsel of RAW poultry (skin, meat, whatever) to your dear ones due to salmonella and other undesireables that are harbored in raw or undercooked meat.
Great tips… excellent job. I am going to twitter this page and hope to get as many dog owners out there to read this.
TWO YEARS AGO I GAVE MY YORKIE A SMALL AMOUNT OF CUT UP TURKEY….WRONG THING TO DO. SHE WOUND UP AT THE VET WITH AN I.V. IN HER FOR THE DAY TO COUNTER ACT THE VOMMITTING. APPARENTLY TURKEY HAS A LOT MORE FAT THAN CHICKEN AND IS ON THE “DO NOT FEED” LIST FOR MY PUPPERS !!!
Believe it or not, turkey is not good for your dog. Most emergency room visits during the Thanksgiving are due to dogs eating too much turkey. Through digestive process, tripdophene(sp) is produced and puts the dog in a stupor. Also, Yam or Sweet Potatoes are bad as they cause a spike in blood sugar. Gassy veggies can also cause bloat.
[...] Stuff the Turkey, Not the Dog: 10 Things to Hide from Your Pet this Thanksgiving Janine Kahn Comments (38) [...]
hi, we are two Maltese dogs LuLu and LoLLy. We think this is a great artikle full of AWESUM tips! Although we are sad we wont be eating turkey and pie this year, it is much better than going to see the V.E.T. Keep up the great work. Your Maltese paLs, LuLu and LoLLy
I just love it when someone says, “I’m a vet tech” or “I work for a vet” (it doesn’t matter for how many years) THAT does not make anyone an expert or even particularily knowledgable about DIET.
VETS are NOT always good sources of nutritional information. In fact most vet’s knowledge comes from sitting through a seminar or two in school given by a manufacturer’s rep giving a talk at vet school. How many vets do you see pushing IAMS or SCIENCE DIET – LOOK AT THOSE LABELS – corn and wheat etc. People you’ve been brain-washed by well presented ADVERTISING (often LIES – or misinformation at best). And these vets – these so called savers of our pet’s lives – are contributing to the poor health of our pets – why? hmmm poor information, or wanting to make money? or both.
Vets may be good practioners for fixing what a bad diet may do, but let’s not get hysterical over HUMAN grade foods and dogs. MEAT is just fine for a dog – DOGS are carnivores – not obligate carnivores like cats and ferrets, but folks they are meat eaters by origin, by species!
Many people can not eat this or that food and the person who said – IF it’s so fatty it’s not fit for your dog, then it’s not fit for you either – well she is totally right on.
Folks dogs can eat human food – in fact that’s a better grade of food – doesn’t your dog deserve the best?
Should they have everything we eat – NO – raisins and grapes are two examples of never, not even one because just one CAN throw your dog into renal failure, but human grade meats, including organ meats, better yet the entire animal, and vegetables are not going to hurt most dogs.
Yes some breeds are more susceptible than others to pancreatitis and size does matter – smaller dogs can react negatively sooner than SOME larger dogs.
Have you ever heard of raw and/or natural diets? What do you think wild canines or free roam canine pets eat? Meat and plants! Look at your DOG FOOD – does the label say corn or wheat, or corn or wheat meal, or corn or wheat gluten? Those grains are reportedly the two highest allergens in our pet’s food. What about salts and sugars? BHA, BHT, ETHOXIQUIN –
WHY ARE YOU FEEDING THAT CRAP TO YOUR DOG? GO – find a food that has 3 named meats in at least the 1st 3 ingredient listed. AND NEVER NEVER OLD ROY unless you like feeding actual poison to your pet – euthanized cats and dogs!
There are dozens of truly good foods – Innova, EVO, and other brands made by Naturapet(.com), BilJak, Blue Buffalo, some of the Taste of the Wild, Orijin, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul (found at feed stores and resonable priced) and more. Read the Labels!
AGAIN – even people can eat or not eat different things depending on their physical constitution.
I’ve fed my dogs exactly what I eat for 3 decades – I have never had even one experience Pancreatitis, never had a bone hurt one, never had chocolate or sugar hurt one etc. Use common sense –
oh and what they are accustomed to eating from youth helps them tolerate different foods. Don’t feed them a low protein crap food, like a grocery store pet food for most of their life, then suddenly develop a conscience and put them on high protein rich foods.
BTW – 20 years ago I pinned my vet down and asked “what is wrong with chocolate – does it kill – does it eat holes in hearts – what?” He told me that the theobromide and caffiene were the problems – one toxic and the other could cause hypertension or heart attack… the toxicity of chocolate is relative to each living creature who injests it.
How much your dog’s system can endure and how big is your dog – again – size does matter – bigger dogs usually can tolerate more poison, of any kind, than smaller dogs – just like people – oh yeah – chocolate – it’s toxic to humans too – size matters and it’s relative to each animal’s/person’s body tolerance.
Oil, gravy, veggies, butter, cooked bread, etc is NOT going to kill or even hurt most dogs – the question is – Is your dog one of the sensitive ones?
Don’t be hysterical – BE Educated – BE Informed
Good Grief. Dog people. Just do what works for you and your dog. The article is sound enough, the comments make me want to scream, and the fact that I’m pulled in makes me wonder about myself.
Do you really know? Are you absolutely sure someone else is doing it wrong? So much misinformation stated with such absolute authority. Thankful that I have the common sense to know that I don’t know it all, and the realization that there are a lot of right ways to feed a dog. My suggestion…Go tell someone they are doing it right–someone who isn’t doing it your way.
Oops forgot to address – Feeding height – Good information – all dogs should eat at or about chest height, but yes larger and giant breeds are most at risk for bloat – bloat or stomach twisting can kill.
Salmonella and e-coli can be deadly but healthy pets can deal with these bacteria better than humans and usually do not end up sick as a result.
Wild animals as far as we know do experience higher mortality rates (die younger) than our pets. BUT their deaths are not due to too rich a diet from eating prey animals. While some do live to an old age, many fall victim to predators, or injury or illness from fighting, human attacks or just human encounters, other injury, or disease (Rabies, distemper, wound infection, poisons).
Turkey does not have more fat content than chicken. In fact it depends on which part of the animal you are cooking and how you cook it to determine which has more fat. Overall the meat of turkey is considered less fat than chicken.
Skin is not good for anyone – humans or animals – so if you’re concerned skip the skin and mix white meat with baked, boiled or broiled veggies such as green and green beans, broccoli (in small amounts and not often), corn, broth with fat skimmed off (chill broth completely then remove top layer of fat for a less fat broth). Raw yams are toxic, but cooked yams and sweet potatoes are OK if not a regular part of your dogs diet – when cooked with sugar, honey, brown sugar etc.
Many fruits are OK also, just make sure no seeds or pits are included with the meat. See nutritionist’s information – they have studied this particular topic.
If it’s not good for you then it’s probably not good for your dog – rich, calorie laden, or sugary. The exceptions of course are individual tolerance – your system may be able to better tolerate certain foods and you dog not – or vice versa.
There is so much invovled in this topic – it’s not black and white – this or that. It may be better to be safe than sorry, but if you’re going to play it safe do so with the packaged pet food you buy as well as what you cook.
There are several things to consider here.
1) Human food is very rich, particularly around the holidays when we go “all out,” and while some dogs and cats may not have problems, and others sometimes seem okay, this isn’t always the case. Any size, any breed, can get very ill, even lethally, simply because they can’t properly digest our holiday meals.
2) Certain human-safe seasonings, such as sage, are actually toxic to pets. (Sage! Bet none of you ever thought about that, our #1 turkey and stuffing seasoning!)
3) Raw turkey is NEVER okay for pets, as just like us they can get sick from salmonella. And poultry bones, cooked or raw, are never okay as they are hollow and splinter easily. Even large, solid beef bones have been rendered into splinters within a few minutes by my German Shepherd mix, so I never give any pets ANY natural bones anymore. I don’t think anyone here wants to take their pet to the vet to have expensive surgery to repair a perforated intestine, which is deadly.
4) Certain foods, IN SMALL AMOUNTS, actually are okay. PLAIN sweet or regular potatoes, PLAIN green beans, and a piece of turkey, NO SKIN, are okay. Limit it to one spoonful of each or so, and by plain I mean no butter, no salt, no nothing. Remember, some of our beloved seasonings are toxic to our furry friends. Best of all, to avoid ~everyone~ at the table giving Fido a spoon of potatoes, so that now he’s had as much as a big can of dog food, don’t feed your pets scraps at all, and give them some turkey-flavored pet food (which not only is pet-safe and nutritionally balanced for them, but will help reduce the “begging” factor as they will have something that tastes kind of like our meal smells).
5) Lastly, don’t forget raw bread dough. Bad for pets for two reasons: one, the dough will actually rise in a pet’s stomach and often times needs life-saving surgery to remove, and two, the yeast creates alcohol as it does its thing, the same kind that we drink, and it really doesn’t take much to give a pet alcohol poisoning. Often the raw bread dough is more than enough for that.
I needed these tips so much, and really… I know that my dog had to go to the dog hospital and they told us these things, of course it was not because of these but this information is so important!!!! So, tell everyone you know now!! Let’s help the dogs!!!!
thanks i had no idea turkey skin was bad for dogs, not that i would give it to my dog-yuck, i dont even like the stuff!lol. can nyone tell me if these foods are bad to give ur dog as well?: cooked popcorn, milk(to an eight yr old dog), bread, ice cubes, carrots, and nything else ur dog begs for. thanks
On a side note we have made boneless chicken breast for the dogs on thanksgiving – that is their meal and it really is a huge treat for them. Otherwise, no table food. (Especially since I have a chihuahua that has ibd already).
Thank you very much for sharing all of these preventive measures for our most valuable and lovable pets. I truly appreciate them so much. All the best and God bless.
Great article! We had company one time that fed our Border Collie Rodeo the left overs of the turkey pan – yes all of that fat and grease drippings! About 2:00 in the morning he was waking me up “sick as a dog”! Poor guy had diarrhea for two days and I mean so bad he couldn’t even come back in the house because it would just run out. It was time to go to the vet when it finally quit. He hasn’t came near the turkey pan since.
Wow I love my dogs, and I know what I am doing. I think the article was great.
Some of you people though?
Wow. Experts everywhere huh?
ha ha ha Im sorry some of this is just insane. Great job with the tips
very helpful.
Thanks for the reminders. Even a small amount of turkey can be harmful, regardless of the size of the dog. Just ask Roswell, my 118# German Shepherd who got pancreatitis after having a small amount at TG last year…
As for the poinsettias, luckily they aren’t as toxic as previously thought. They will cause GI irritation, but always check with your vet to see if anything needs to actually be done if they ingest anything. With cats, keeping plants out of reach is even more important.
Thanks for the tips. Also I like the dressed up dog pics.
I feed my dog Raw, she’s a 6# chihuahua mix, She has had turkey about 13 times in the last FOUR months, She doesn’t have pancreatitis, she doesn’t have Salmonella, or e.coli, and she has NEVER had an intestinal blockage.
“Raw turkey is NEVER okay for pets, as just like us they can get sick from salmonella.” Any healthy dog can ward off Salmonella, or e.coli. btw, Kibble fed dogs also have a lot of salmonella in their diet, If you check in a fecal test of both raw and kibble fed dogs, they both shed both viruses
“poultry bones, cooked or raw, are never okay as they are hollow and splinter easily.” Poultry bones are extremely soft and can be digested absolutely fine if fed with meat! aka raw MEATY bone, the meat cushions all the bones so they don’t ’splinter’ and harm anything.
“Even large, solid beef bones have been rendered into splinters within a few minutes” Why are you giving your dog a bone without meat? That’s like giving your child a fork and an electric outlit, You just don’t do it.
By the way, Greenies, Raw hides, Pressed Hide ect, have a higher choking hazard than raw bones.
Before putting down raw diets, you guys should get your research straight
Thank you Barbara!!! Finally a smart answer! I have been feeding my chihuahua deli sliced turkey (nitrate and preservative free), vegetables, along with a small amount of high quality kibble (Solid Gold, Innova, Wysong, etc.) He is super healthy. Why do people think dogs need “dog food”? Dogs and every living creature deserve healthy, fresh food as much as humans do. Of course don’t feed your dog pizza, french fries and other foods that are bad for humans. Yes, they are also bad for dogs. Big surprise, eh? Dog food is just a money making scheme by the cereal companies. Just use common sense people!
Great topics in both the article and the comments!
Does anybody know where the colorful turkey costume that the chihuahua is wearing here came from? Google’s giving me zilch and what came up on Ebay isn’t as awesome as this outfit. My pup doesn’t mind to be dressed up for a little bit, i usually just like to do a quick photo-op and then let her roam free naked as a jaybird the rest of the time.
any thoughts? Thanks!
Gravy on a whole should never be given to dogs. In many instances herbs and onions are used, which are both toxic to dogs. And in all honesty (and I know I’ll prob get some backlash for this) you should never feed your dog RAW food, unless it’s raw veggies. My vet shudders when he hears the BARF word, and he’s treated so many dogs with e.coli poisoning, bones stuck in the digestive tract, and so on. But yes, sticking to the point, dog food only. If you absolutely must feed from the table, first joint of finger rule: nothing more than the size of the first joint of your pointer finger.
Karlee, I’ll pray that your dog remains well. It’s very unlikely if you keep feeding her raw food. 7/10 vets say never feed your dogs bones of any kind, they can cause dead teeth, root damage, etc. Also, we need to remember that we have to stop comparing them to wolves. “Wolves eat raw food, and they’re healthy!” Your chihuahua can’t crack open raw leg bones to get at the marrow inside. Your chihuahua lost the bacteria in the gut he/she needs to break down raw meat when her ancestors were domesticated. Dogs, even adult dogs, are basically immature wolves in both behavior and biology. Please, as the wife of a vet, don’t feed raw meat to your dog or give them bones. You can give them raw veggies if you wash them properly, but one day you’ll little chihuahua may pay the ultimate price with severe diahorreah and dehydration.
Great advice. This year, my dogs are getting their own raw cornish hens plus a few of the safe table scraps.
I used to believe that anything was safe for my dog, and then one year my father gave my little mini pin all the turkey leftovers that he wanted. The dog’s poor intestines were sickened and he ended up making a horrible, unspeakable mess inside of his crate during the night, but only after lying around the entire evening bloated and miserable. Some dogs will eat WHATEVER is within their reach, even if it’s bad for them and they are full. No more turkey for my dog. In fact, he recently was diagnosed with some liver problems, so he will probably not get any people food at all, which will make him very unhappy after years of our “sharing.”
You forgot to put ham! Dogs can NOT have ham! It is poisionous!
For what it’s worth – our Shih Tzus, Barker (almost
and Piper (4 1/2), have sensitive stomachs, and a lot of even the high-class kibbles did not agree with them. What we, in conjunction with our vet, have now settled on, which is fine for them, is boneless chicken breast meat with rice and pumpkin, sometimes cooked carrots or green beans, and a sprinkling of Nutro Small Bites kibble on top. They have no trouble tolerating this, they get lots of exercise, and they are thriving! And by the way, they also have lots of “outfits” and especially like sleeping in polar fleece dogjammies because they get chilly, especially Piper. So I agree with the person who said you have to figure out what is best for YOUR dogs — but it’s also good to know what to stay away from (fatty foods, grapes/raisins, chocolate etc).
That smiley-face icon should be an eight.
my mommy is a dufus. she gave me and my cuzzin the staffie lovely dinners of shredded turkey white meat last year without consulting our uncle.
i have no trouble, i would be happy to eat your toes raw drenched in greasy gravy and covered with melted cheese and whipped cream but my cuzz had terrible diarreah all night long because he never gets any ‘human’ food.
not all bellies are equal
happy thanksgiving pups!
Celly, I’ll pray that your dog remains well. It’s very unlikely if you keep feeding them a commercial food diet that your husband is providing them.
I’d like to say that you are very informed, Dog’s don’t need the marrow inside of weight bearing bones, infact dogs shouldn’t even be getting weight bearing bones. Those are wreak bones, and destroy teeth. I’ve never cleaned my dogs teeth and they are whiter than white, I can garentee you don’t have the same story. How often do you have to bring your pups in for teeth cleaning? once – twice a year?
BTW, If my dog lost the bacteria in the gut to break down raw meat, then why is she doing fine? She’s been eating this diet long enough to now be dead if it wasn’t good.
Please, as the wife of a vet, Get informed on what YOU feed your animal! Why do you think junk that is over processed and full of perservitives are good for anyone!? Do all you eat is Chips day in and day out? I think not! Just because your hubby is a vet doesn’t mean he know anything about nutrition. 1 class x amount of years ago – doesn’t count as nutrition.
The anti-raw hysteria in some of these comments is hysterical. Thanks for the laugh…
“7/10 vets say never feed your dogs bones of any kind, they can cause dead teeth, root damage, etc.”
Source?? This “statistic” probably comes from inappropriate bones such as cow bones, marrow bones, etc. Raw feeders generally don’t feed these. 7/10? Where did you pull this number from?
“Your chihuahua can’t crack open raw leg bones to get at the marrow inside.”
Again… who says raw feeders are feeding heavy leg bones? More assumptions…
“Your chihuahua lost the bacteria in the gut he/she needs to break down raw meat when her ancestors were domesticated.”
Umm… HUH?? Source for this please? A legitimate one? How, specifically, were dogs bred to have a longer digestive tract and/or different stomach pH? Sorry, just absurd. Come take a look at my dogs any day and tell me they can’t “process” their diet — they process it about a million times better than extruded kibbles. Their energy, teeth, coat, and bloodwork speak for themselves.
“Dogs, even adult dogs, are basically immature wolves in both behavior and biology.”
And I’m curious what you think wolf cubs eat…??
“Please, as the wife of a vet, don’t feed raw meat to your dog or give them bones.”
There are quite a few vets out there who support the raw diet, so I wouldn’t go throwing around “wife of a vet” as some kind of uber-credential.
“but one day you’ll little chihuahua may pay the ultimate price with severe diahorreah and dehydration.”
I’m sure the concern is appreciated but comments like these are downright insulting. Most raw feeders have done months if not years of research and constant reading on properly balancing their dogs’ species-appropriate diet. To throw around a bunch of claims with no basis in fact and then tell someone their dog is going to die (have you actually met any raw fed dogs?) is just ridiculous. Sorry but you can keep your processed pellets.
Sorry to target you individually.The raw diet is not for everyone but these tired scare tactics based on nonsense is getting really old
Everyone please have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
PS — one more thing I forgot to address…
“but one day you’ll little chihuahua may pay the ultimate price with severe diahorreah and dehydration.”
Dehydration? Raw meat is typically about 70% water. How much moisture is in dry kibbles?? Oh yeah, pretty much nada. It is a VERY apparent difference to see your dogs act like they are dying of thirst and lap up 3 to 4 full bowls of water A DAY on dry kibble to less than 1 bowl a day on moisture-rich raw.
Sorry it’s suppose to say, your misinformed**
And BTW
“Dogs, even adult dogs, are basically immature wolves in both behavior and biology”
There you go, You said yourself, Dog’s are just like wolves in their way of biology AKA the way they eat…
My Eskie stole a roaster chicken carcass out of the pail. The result was pancreatitus. 2 grand later and a week on iv feeding and he was ok. It is true!!!!!!!!
“Dogs, even adult dogs, are basically immature wolves in both behavior and biology.”
That is EXACTLY why we feed raw! What do you think a wolf puppy eats? It’s definitely not kibble. Chihuahuas may have trouble cracking into a beef or venison bone, but I guarantee you they have no problem cracking into the bones of chicken, turkey, and rabbit.
Karlee and Carissa & Kolbe:
I love all of your comments addressing the raw diet. I feed my dog raw and have had excellent results, and I would never go back to feeding kibble now.
As I was reading I was disgusted by all of the negative comments against feeding raw, but I’m happy to see that you guys addressed it.
RAW feeder as of 4/5/08… If the meat from the butcher is GOOD for my human family than it is GOOD for my furkids. I trust the meat I get from our 2 butchers for my furkids over kibble now any day and well RAW that is just the way it is suppose to be.
http://www.raw-dog-food-diet.com/articles_natural_pet_food_and_more.htm
I, uh, suppose I’ll add my two cents on this lovely raw diet discussion. I’ve been a raw feeder since mid September of 2008. Benefits I have experienced:
-Softer and shiner coat
-Better breath
-Cleaner teeth
-Smaller and less frequent stool that is also biodegradable
-more energy
And the vet has told me to keep it up once she saw Treader.
I feed PM (Prey Model), which consists about 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, and 5% other secreting organ with as much of a variety of each as is possible. There’s also another “style”, BARF, which stands for Biologically Aprpopiate Raw Food. This “style” of raw includes vegetables and usually concentrates on providing a balanced meal all in one day rather than other time as with PM.
Now I DO NOT recommend that anyone starts raw on a whim. It’s very important that each and every person does their research before starting. There are guidelines you have to go by and you can do harm if you do not follow them.
I know I say this a lot, but I used to be very much anti-raw until I read a bunch of testimonies from other dog owners on this website. I was gradually convinced to go raw and last year I finally did. I do not plan to go back to kibble.
“Other time” is supposed to be “over time”.
My Airedale is “typical terrier” & sneaky as a dog can be!
He doesn’t even tolerate lamb & rice dog food; so i am
especially careful at any Holiday! He only gets thumb size chopped up meat IN HIS FOOD, never from table & is banned from kitchens …. his nose is his greatest asset &
my nemises! Keep up the good work-I always learn from
these great tips on DOGSTER…Happy Holiday 2 all who contribute as we learn & grow in our love of pets Gen. Neyland, AKC, Airedale & well trained Human:Bonnie
I have a beautiful Golden. I cook for him now. I stopped giving him dog food after I realized he had a cancer tumor on his spleen. I know with all the junk they put in dog food it can’t be good! I wouldn’t eat it! I noticed the tumor in 2 days. Sorry, but his poop was orange. I thought, well that is strainge???? I have a private doggie Day Care and have been working with dogs for the past 25 yrs or better. I always check all my dogs gums to make sure they are a beautiful pink color.Lord behold! They were pail in color almost white, an indication of internal bleeding. I rushed him into the vets office we did blood work and an ultrasound of the organs and noticed the tumor on his spleen. Since dogs as well as people can live healthy lives without a spleen I told the vet to remove the spleen. We took it out. It was the size of a baby otter! Yet his tummy was not large at all…..Now…He is a puppy again! Just as happy as can be.When I took him to the vet that Friday, I was informed he would have passed on monday if I had not educated myself. I have my boy for many more yrs to come. He will be 10 come April 2010. The moral of this true story is “always check your dogs gums”!
Folks please remember the context here. This is a blog and as such the information here has not been reviewed for accuracy. Educate yourself, but Just as it would not be advisable to use the comments from a cardiac blog to manage your cardiac health it would also not be advisable to manage your dogs health from a blog. Your own veterinarian and veterinary technician have the training and experience to be able to answer veterinary questions.
It’s the fats in the gravy & meat that causes pancreatitus …. and believe me.. it CAN and did happen to use one year. 2 dogs since.. $1000 in vet bills. Some breeds (a lot of terriers for instance) are sensitive to FAT in their foods. Is it really worth it???
“Educate yourself, but Just as it would not be advisable to use the comments from a cardiac blog to manage your cardiac health it would also not be advisable to manage your dogs health from a blog.”
I agree to a point.
“Your own veterinarian and veterinary technician have the training and experience to be able to answer veterinary questions.”
General practitioner vets have little nutritional training. At any rate, why assume that an expert always have the best information available? A vet or veterinary training course can lie just as easily as a blog can. Not everything a vet will tell you is true. Not everything anyone says is always true. People need to use their own heads, look at all the sides, and make up their own minds.
Tucker just got out of the vet hospital for a week after getting pancreatits then liver failure. The vet said if we had waited one more day they wouldn’t have been able to save him. This just from a little fat on a couple pieces of steak. He is now only on dog food and is back to his normal puppy self. He’s a two year old Sheltie and I hope he has many, many more healthy years left! NO FAT FOR DOGS
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