13 Thanksgiving ‘Foods’ That Can Be Deadly to Dogs and Cats

It’s only natural to want to include our furry family members in our Thanksgiving celebration by sharing a few bites of dinner. However, your dog or cat will be thankful if you leave these 13 Thanksgiving “foods” off the menu.

What Thanksgiving ‘Foods’ Are Dangerous to Dogs and Cats?

Garlic, onions, and chives

This group of ingredients is commonly found in mashed potatoes, stuffing, and many other Thanksgiving dishes. No matter if the garlic, onion, or chives are fresh, cooked, powdered, or any other form, they can lead to damaged blood cells and anemia for animal companions—don’t risk it.

Turkey bones

Anyone who’s met a turkey knows they’re someone, not something. But if your Thanksgiving host still chooses not to opt for a delicious vegan roast, be vigilant that no one sneaks any bones from turkeys to furry family members. Cooked bones can perforate their intestines, sometimes even requiring surgery.

When given a good life at a sanctuary, turkeys often follow humans around like puppies looking for treats and affection. Turkeys are caring parents and spirited explorers who can live up to 10 years, but in the meat industry, millions of turkeys are still babies when workers kill them for Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin pie (and anything else containing nutmeg)

In significant amounts, nutmeg can be toxic, causing hallucinations, stomach pain, and possibly even seizures. Other spices can be dangerous, too, so it’s best not to feed dogs treats from your Thanksgiving dinner.

Alcohol

Alcohol has the same effect on dogs’ livers and brains as on humans’, but it doesn’t take as much to cause serious damage to them. Alcohol can even lead to respiratory distress, tremors, coma, and death. Sorry—no rum cake for Fido!

Caffeine

As soon as a dessert or other Thanksgiving dish calls for coffee, tea, or chocolate as an ingredient, it is off limits to animal companions. Because these ingredients all contain caffeine, anything that contains them could be fatal to canines.

Candy

While the sugar in candy isn’t great for dogs, the sweetener xylitol, which is often used nowadays, can actually lead to liver failure, so keep sweets of all kinds away from your pup.

Chocolate

In addition to caffeine, chocolate contains theobromine, which can be extremely poisonous when ingested by dogs and may even result in seizures and death, so be sure not to leave any chocolates within Fido’s reach.

Cow’s milk

Dairy, including milk, whipped cream, cheese, and butter, is bad for humans, dogs, and cats. They can cause diarrhea and other digestive disturbances as well as allergic reactions in animal companions. Plus, the dairy industry exploits cows. It’s better for everyone if you leave dairy out of your dog’s bowl and off your plate this Thanksgiving.

Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do: to nourish their young. To keep them producing milk, dairy industry workers forcibly manually inseminate female cows every year. Once their babies are born, workers tear the calves away from their mothers within a day of birth, which causes them both extreme distress. Mother cows can be heard calling for their calves for days.

Eggnog

Loaded with fat, sugar, cow’s milk, raw eggs, and alcohol, this beverage is a quintuple of danger to your animal companion’s health—and yours. Although you still shouldn’t share it with your dog or cat, vegan eggnogs are better for you, cows, and chickens than the old-fashioned recipe.

Pig flesh

If anybody in your household tries to sneak a scrap of ham or bacon to your dog or cat, stop them in their tracks. Dishes that contain pork can cause pancreatitis, a potentially life-threatening disease, in animal companions.

Pigs are intelligent, inquisitive, and enjoy playing games. Today’s farming industry forces pigs to spend their lives in cramped, filthy enclosures before being killed. Help a pig and keep your dog safe from pork-caused illness: Opt for a vegan ham this Thanksgiving.

Nuts

These have a very high fat content and may contain other toxins that can result in stomach upset or other serious health complications. Macadamia nuts, in particular, when fed to your furry family member even in small amounts, can be toxic and result in vomiting, tremors, paralysis, rapid heartbeat, and other complications.

Raisins and grapes

Consuming these fruits, even in small quantities, may cause rapid kidney failure in some dogs, and fruitcakes are one holiday offering likely to contain them. If you were thinking that you could unload an unwanted fruitcake on your pup, think again. Maybe “regift” it to an unwitting human friend or relative instead.

Salt

Salt abounds in many holiday dishes, and when consumed by dogs and cats, it can cause excessive thirst and urination, and is especially detrimental to animals with underlying kidney or cardiovascular conditions. 

What Thanksgiving Foods Are Safe for Dogs?

Since holiday recipes can vary widely, it’s best not to feed dogs any prepared dishes, and take extra care to steer clear of these particular ingredients and holiday foods that are bad for dogs. If you really want to share something with your furry family members, there are a few things that are generally safe for them.

6 Thanksgiving Foods You Can Share With Your Dogs

• Cooked sweet potatoes (minus any additional ingredients)
• Baked potatoes
• Pumpkin purée
• Carrots (steamed or raw)
• Steamed green beans
• Unsweetened cranberries

Want to Share More With Your Dog? Go Vegan

One thing all of the Thanksgiving foods that are safe to share with dogs have in common is that they’re all vegan. But your animal companion isn’t the only one who benefits when you keep animals off your plate. When you go vegan, you’ll not only spare nearly 200 animals a lifetime of suffering, but you’ll also kickstart your own health journey.

Send Me a Vegan Starter Kit

© iStock.com/anopdesignstock

Order Your FREE Vegan Starter Kit

Send Me a Vegan Starter Kit