When we think about Thanksgiving, one of the first things that probably comes to mind is food. But what's safe for your pets? Some foods on your plate may be harmful to your dogs or cats.
Dr. John La Bonte, a veterinarian at Las Tablas Animal Hospital in Templeton, says he deals with digestion issues in pets at least once a month.
Around the holidays, pet emergency rooms see a big increase in animals that ate something they shouldn't have.
“We do worry about pets getting into food, especially I'd say the turkey and the bones because bones can cause obstructions in the GI tract either in the stomach or the intestines," Dr. La Bonte said. "Other things to look out for is really just garlic and onions. Garlic and onions are in a lot of the Thanksgiving foods.”
He says raw vegetables and cooked potatoes that don't have butter or fatty additives are okay to share.
“Even if you wanted to cook a sweet potato on the side for them to make you feel better (you can)," La Bonte said. "We worry about high fatty foods that can cause pancreatitis in pets, so if you have raw vegetables beforehand that you want to give them, if you bake a potato or sweet potato, that's what I would do.”
In addition to keeping your dog safe from your plate, La Bonte says to make sure your trash is secured and kept in a place where your dog or cat can't get to it.
If your local vet is closed for the holidays, you can call the ASPCA Animal Poison Hotline at (888) 426-4435 for information on what your animal needs before arriving at an emergency room.
