Thanksgiving Leftovers: What's Safe And What's Not

For a lot of people, Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year. You get to devote an entire day to stuffing your face with mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey - what more could you really want in a single day?

There’s someone else in the family who’s also pretty stoked on Turkey Day too: your dog.

Every year, he waits patiently by the table while the humans eat their delicious Thanksgiving meal. But as soon people start getting up from the table to clear their plates, it’s only a matter of time before someone remarks that Fido is licking his chops, ready for the leftovers.

Before you give in to his adorable puppy eyes this Thanksgiving, take a look at this list of foods that are in the clear, and those that are dangerous for your dog’s health:

Skip It:

1. Alcohol - This one should really be a no-brainer, but alas, many people still think it’s totally fine (and cute, even) to give the dog that last bit of beer in their glass. Needless to say, don’t do that. And just remember, just because your dog likes the taste of alcohol, doesn’t mean it’s healthy or safe for him to have it.
2. Turkey Skin - Here’s one we don’t often consider. While turkey by itself can actually be fine to give your dog, as you’ll read below, turkey skin is not. It’s likely that it’s been flavored with various things that are toxic to dogs, like onion, garlic or sage. And of course, never give your dog under-cooked meat!
3. Pumpkin Pie - Pumpkin can actually be quite good for dogs, but the spices often used in it are not. So unless you’re planning to make a bland, tasteless pumpkin pie without any flavor, don’t give it to your dog. 
4. Turkey Bones - Any dog just loves to chew away on a delicious bone now and again. Cooked bones can cause vomiting in dogs, or even lead to punctures in the stomach or intestines - no one wants that!
5. Gravy - What could possibly be wrong with giving your dog gravy, right? There aren’t any small bones and he absolutely goes crazy for the stuff! Well, it all depends on what you put in your gravy; if you use any amount of mushrooms, onions, garlic, sage, chives, leeks, scallions or pepper, then it’s not safe for your dog. You probably use at least one of those things, otherwise, what kind of gravy are you even making…?

In The Clear:

1. Green Beans - A lot of vegetables are actually great for dogs, green beans being of no exception. However, keep the green bean casserole away from your dog, as it often contains ingredients like mushrooms or onions, which, as we've established, are toxic to dogs.
2. Sweet Potatoes - Similarly to the green beans, sweet potato can be great for your dog, but skip it if the dish contains marshmallow, nutmeg, or any of the aforementioned.
3. Turkey - Turkey is fine for dogs to eat, but, you’ve gotta be incredibly diligent about making sure that you’ve gotten all of those little bones out that he could choke on.

And as always, if you suspect that your dog ate something he shouldn’t have, call Animal Poison Control right away. Happy Thanksgiving, and we at Zen Dog Walking believe that you do have the power to resist your dog’s cute “feed-me” eyes.

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