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Can My Dog Eat Thanksgiving Food like Turkey and Pumpkin?

September 25, 2018 by Talent Hounds 17 Comments

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Thanksgiving Food Safety Tips for Dogs

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends celebrating. We have a lot to be thankful for.

Keep your furry friends and family healthy and safe this year with a few lessons I have learned with Kilo the Pug. One of them is YES – Most dogs can eat pumpkin and turkey.

Kilo the pug -long banner

Thanksgiving Food Your Dog May Be Able To Eat

I know I should not share my meals with Kilo, but I confess, I do. We both love food and we bond. I only give him teeny tastes if he sits quitely at my feet and does not ask (except with his big brown eyes). I love including him with the family and it makes us both happy.

If you also like to make your dog part of your celebration, here is a list of a few yummy foods from my Thanksgiving Menu that dogs may be able to eat in moderation (as long as they are not allergic or on a specific diet- always check with your vet).

  • Turkey breast
  • Pumpkin (numerous benefits – Click here to enjoy healthy and yummy pumpkin recipes )
  • Broccoli (Kilo and I love cooked and raw)
  • Asparagus
  • Peas
  • Sweet Potato (great for dogs and humans- see our recipe ideas)
  • Cauliflower (Kilo and I love cooked and raw)
  • Mashed Potato (but no skin, especially green bits as can be toxic)
  • Carrots (Kilo and I love cooked and raw)
  • Bananas – a daily treat for Kilo
  • Berries (Kilo is not a fan of raw berries)
  • Apples (but not seeds)
  • Dates (my daughter loves them but large amounts could cause diarrhea in a dog)
  • Cheese (Kilo and I both really love- but can be rich and fattening)

Things like bread, crackers and Doritos may not make your dog sick, but can be very fattening. I don’t worry if Kilo tastes a little, but we should both avoid them really if we want to lose weight and feel fit.

Kilo the pug says onions are toxic

Check out Kilo’s Thanksgiving menu you can make from our Dog Licks Series.

Free Recipe Giveaway including Turkey Mutt Loaf, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Mashed Potato and Apple.

Things to Avoid

  • Cooked bones
  • Turkey skin and fatty meat
  • Garlic
  • Onion, even in sauces. See our article on Kilo’s scary Onion Incident.
  • Chocolate
  • Nutmeg
  • Grapes and wine
  • Certain seeds or pips
  • Certain nuts like Macadamia Nuts
  • Other products that can be dangerous or toxic to your dog- check with your vet and the ASPCA

Things we have learned the hard way:

  • Tidy up appetizers before sitting down to dinner
  • Clear the dinner table before everyone leaves
  • Make sure counters, cupboards, garbage and dishwashers are not accessible

Guilty Dog – Kilo’s “Crimes”

Kilo is very food motivated and can climb and jump quite high. He is quite resourceful when it comes to finding food.

  • He was trying to be “helpful” and went and cleaned up the appetizers when we moved to the dining table from the living room at a dinner a few months ago. Luckily he only got a cracker, a carrot stick and some tiny bits of smoked salmon. He did grab a seed of an olive but did not swallow it. He knocked over and smashed a wine glass but did not drink any wine or cut himself.
  • He washed the dishes at another dinner when someone left the dishwasher open,
  • He stole and ate a whole tray of chocolate brownies off a shelf we thought was out of reach(vet trip required- see video above).
  • Another time he stole a whole quiche off a high counter by jumping up and grabbing the end of the plastic bag and pulling until it fell  (scary Onion Incident)
  • He has eaten the remains of extremely smelly salad dressing and other scraps when the recycling bin was not sealed tightly enough. We now have to put any garbage bins out of reach as he loves the challenge of knocking them over when we are out.
  • He has started cleaning up the dining table of leftovers as we were saying goodbye to guests several times (luckily fruit/cheese and crackers not chocolate).
  • He has stolen Doritos off that same table and got caught on camera. He can even move furniture to reach.

Too Much Turkey, click here for some healthy tips to stay fit! HERE

If your dog does eat something dangerous – call your vet and the 24-hour ASPCA emergency poison hotline 1-888-426-4435 (fees may apply- I had an excellent experience during the onion scare).

Filed Under: Dog Health, Talent Hound Videos, WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Earl Lover says

    November 25, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    I love festive food!

    Reply
    • Talent Hounds says

      November 25, 2015 at 6:03 pm

      You and Kilo Earl XS

      Reply
  2. Colby says

    November 26, 2015 at 12:48 am

    Thanks for sharing your lists of things that my pups might be able to eat on Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

    Reply
  3. Jenna,Mark “HuskyCrazed” Drady says

    November 26, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    I love including the dogs in our Thanksgiving dinners. They always get their plate with some veggies, and plain turkey 🙂
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

    Reply
  4. Ruby, Rosie and Teddy says

    October 5, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    This post is making me hungry! Ruby has never tried broccoli or cauliflower, but many of the other foods she has tried. She loves anything with pumpkin (and so do I).

    Reply
  5. Ruby, Rosie and Teddy says

    October 5, 2018 at 12:02 pm

    I hope my first comment went through.

    Reply
    • Talent Hounds says

      October 6, 2018 at 5:05 pm

      Yes thank you!

      Reply
  6. Michelle & The Paw Pack says

    October 5, 2018 at 10:46 pm

    Awesome! I did a similar post on my blog years ago, listing holiday foods that dogs CAN eat. I admit I do share a lot of (healthy) “human” foods with my dogs. I got a kick out of your “Kilo’s Crimes” list. It reminded me a lot of my own dogs – little trouble makers!

    Reply
  7. Ruth Epstein says

    October 6, 2018 at 4:46 pm

    Great post and always a good reminder when it comes to holidays and pets, Happy Thanksgiving

    Reply
  8. Kamira says

    October 6, 2018 at 6:01 pm

    Thanks for sharing these Thanksgiving food safety tips! I love this time of year. Pumpkin everything and good eats. Will share this with my pet loving peeps!

    Reply
  9. JoeHx says

    October 6, 2018 at 9:04 pm

    I, too, love sharing food with my dogs even though I shouldn’t. It’s important to keep in mind what is safe for them to eat and what isn’t!

    Reply
  10. Marjorie and Miranda says

    October 7, 2018 at 7:38 pm

    I love that you have the don’t as well as the do’s! People might be sat there saying ‘but can I give…’

    I try to give Harvey pumpkin but he refuses to eat it most times. I know its good for him * sigh *

    Reply
  11. Jana Rade says

    October 7, 2018 at 9:55 pm

    We absolutely always share turkey breast. Our dogs would be heart-broken if we didn’t.

    Reply
  12. Beth says

    October 8, 2018 at 2:29 pm

    Thanks for this important reminder! Our Puggle, Theo, is the exact same way as Kilo. I’m much better at cleaning off the counters and table now that Theo lives with us. Holidays mean we have to be extra vigilant because there is so much more food around and people to distract us. Two days before Christmas one year Theo grabbed a big bag of m & m’s off the counter after my daughter and niece made cookies. He got quite sick from it and ended up in the emergency room.

    Reply
  13. Dorothy "FiveSibesMom" says

    October 8, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    Oooooo….you have pumpkin recipes! (Of course I knew that, but seeing them has me and my FiveSibes salivating all over again)! We do a Turkey Mish-Mash recipe that the Huskies just love! Mmmm…Thanksgiving…now I’m salivating all over again! Great post!

    Reply
  14. Debbie Bailey says

    October 8, 2018 at 6:29 pm

    Great list! You can never give too many reminders to pet parents during the holidays, especially about cooked bones. A well-intentioned treat could be deadly if you aren’t careful.

    Reply

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ABOUT TALENT HOUNDS

Talent Hounds started as a TV series exploring the changing roles of dogs and how they enrich our lives. We have grown into a Content Hub and Community for Dog Lovers. Our mission: Inspire. Connect. Inform. Entertain. I am Susan Nation - I manage the community. Kilo the cute little Black Rescue Pug is my sidekick and inspiration. Please join our community. Contact us if you have content, tips or resources to share.

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