Your Thanksgiving feast should be just for the humans in the house

By Henley Holland

It’s finally November folks! That crisp fall bite is still in the air and the aroma of turkey, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin are just waiting to permeate the wind as well. Now, while we humans might enjoy that food coma after Thanksgiving, it can be dangerous to eat that much fatty food in one sitting, but it can be catastrophic to let our pets indulge as well.

Fatty, processed foods are extremely hard for animals to digest, especially in large quantities. So before you set aside a plate of scraps for Fido, consider the following: those poultry bones can splinter and devastate the digestive tract of any pet in your house and many treats contain ingredients and chemicals that are toxic to animals.

Xylitol, an artificial sweetener in many sugar-free baked goods, can be deadly if consumed by your cat or dog. The yeast in many doughs can cause dangerous bloating in your pets as well. Not to mention, many ingredients included in Thanksgiving feasts such as chocolate, citrus, caffeine, raisins, dairy, onions, nuts, and salt can be anywhere from mildly dangerous to deadly to cats and dogs alike.

So, when you and your family get together to enjoy the holiday, ensure the food stays up on the table where your furry family members cannot reach it. Confirm the trash is secure where those troublemakers can’t go digging through and accidentally harm themselves, but, most of all, do not allow any human members, especially the young ones, slip the family pet some little treats throughout the day. Those good intentions have the capability to turn deadly, something no one wants to experience during the holidays.