It’s almost time to bust out the rolling pins and cooking trays to celebrate the holiday season with family and friends. Our family always leaves a portion of goodies aside for our pets, because they deserve to join in the festivities as well. Unfortunately, their little tummies can’t handle some of the rich foods often associated with the holiday season. In fact, some foods are toxic and can cause some serious long-term damage. Safety is key! Avoid giving these foods to your pets at all costs.
Bones: The expression, “throw a dog a bone” is not good advice. Although they aren’t toxic to pets, they are a choking hazard and can potentially cause some serious damage to the digestive tract.
Onions: Onions, onion powder, shallots, leeks, and chives can cause anemia in cats and dogs. How many recipes do you serve during the holiday contain some form of onion?
Mushrooms: There are many species of mushrooms that cause a variety of symptoms in pets. Signs of mushroom toxicity can show immediately, or be delayed for up to 12 hours. Typically, store bought mushrooms are safe for pets, but it’s best to avoid them altogether.
Nuts: Common nuts used in holiday cooking are walnuts, pecans, almonds, and macadamia nuts. When ingested in large quantities, nuts are toxic to dogs and are difficult to digest. Note: Other than almonds, most nuts are not toxic to cats, however they are a choking hazard.
Garlic: Coming from an Italian family who puts garlic in everything, this one came as a surprise to me! Garlic contains a chemical called thiosulfate, which damages red blood cells in cats and dogs.
Grapes and Raisins: This one is a well-known no-no in the pet community. Grapes and raisins cause kidney damage and / or failure.
Chocolate: Chocolate is extremely toxic to pets. I always thought that chocolate causes heartworms, but that is not the case. The component that is toxic to pets is actually caffeine! Depending on the quantity ingested, caffeine can cause both heart and neurological damage. All chocolate has caffeine in it, however, different types of chocolate have larger quantities than others.
Raw or Uncooked Meat: Some people might believe that because animals are capable of consuming raw meat in the wild, then it should be okay to feed raw meat to your cats and dogs. The digestive systems of wild animals have adapted to consume uncooked meats. Domesticated pets have not. Raw meats contain bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. Both can cause food poisoning and make your pets sick.
Not to worry, there are many holiday foods that are safe for pets to eat. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C, baked potatoes (minus the sour cream, butter and chives) are a yummy treat, green beans, peas, and pumpkin provide a variety of nutrition, and it is okay to give your pets a small amount of turkey without the skin and bones! The trick to safely feeding your pet human food is making it as plain as possible.
The ZuluTails team would like to wish everyone and their paws a joyous holiday season filled with lots of love, laughter, and happiness. Give your pets some extra tummy rubs for us!
Best,
The ZuluTails Team