Choosing the Right Vet for Your Pet

What Can Happen If You Feed Your Pet Your Holiday Feasts?

Many pet owners want their pets to feel like a part of the action at the holidays. They give their pets gifts, dress their pets up in sweaters and Santa hats, and they even feed their pets from the holiday feast. Knowing what can happen if you decide to feed your pet people food at the holidays can impact the precautions you take to protect your pet.

What can happen if you feed your pet your holiday feasts?

The answer to this depends on what you feed your pet, how much you feed your pet, how big your pet is and whether or not your pet is used to eating people food. If your pet is already used to eating people food, and you feed them safe foods in moderate amounts, your pet can enjoy your food as much as you do. However, there are many foods that are prevalent at the holidays that can be dangerous for pets.

What foods are dangerous for pets?

The list of dangerous foods is long. The foods mentioned below are some of the most dangerous food products commonly served at the holidays:

  • Chocolate
  • Grapes and raisins (found in cranberry sauce and salads)
  • Turkey skin and turkey bones
  • Onions, leaks and other related foods  
  • Sweets and foods high in fat

If you want to feed your pet some special holiday foods, what should you do?

If you want to feed your pet food from your holiday feasts, there are several smart choices you can make that will protect your pet.

  1. Talk to your pet's vet about the menu before feeding anything to your animal friend. Your pet's veterinarian can approve the items on the menu and help you avoid dangerous food products. You may also consider asking your pet's veterinarian if he or she can recommend any recipes that you can make specially for your pet that will be safe for him or her to eat.
  2. Avoid the temptation to feed your pet straight from your dinner table. Your pet needs to realize that there are boundaries, and that your food is not free for the taking. Put the food in your pet's dish before serving the food at the table. This will signal to your pet that food on the table is still off limits, and may prevent your pet from helping him or herself later on.
  3. Keep the phone number for a pet hospital on hand, just in case your pet starts to show symptoms of illness after eating.

If your pet starts to behave differently after the meal, showing signs of disorientation, lethargy, vomiting or diarrhea, contact the pet hospital, like Orange Grove Animal Hospital, right away.


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