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Thanksgiving Foods Dangerous For Your Pets
Posted on November 27th, 2013Are you cooking at home for Thanksgiving?
Tomorrow is the big Turkey Day and if you are planning to cook at home, make sure to check out our list of top ten Thanksgiving foods that are toxic to your pet.
A very Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Clear The Air!
- Sage – Cats are especially sensitive to this herb, which can cause stomach upset and central nervous system depression
- Bread Dough – Raw dough could actually rise in your pets’ sensitive tummy, causing discomfort or an even more serious emergency.
- Cake Batter – Raw eggs can cause salmonella infection in your pet, just as it can for anyone in your family. Stick to dog biscuits and kitty treats instead of this sugary concoction.
- Wrappings – Dispose of aluminum foil, plastic wrap and wax paper. While licking up food left on these wrappings pets can ingest some of the wrapper, leading to intestinal obstructions. Also, look out for tooth picks, skewers and used silverware.
- Walnuts and Macadamia Nuts – These can cause weakness, depression, incoordination, and tremors. In addition, the high fat levels of these nuts may cause pancreatitis in dogs, resulting severe vomiting and diarrhea.
- Bones – It seems counterintuitive, but bones are bad for dogs. Bones are unsafe, no matter what their size. Giving your dog a bone may make your pet a candidate for a trip to your veterinarian’s office later, possible emergency surgery or even death.
- Raw or undercooked turkey – Turkey Day’s main dish is dangerous for one reason: salmonella bacteria. Even though you may believe your dog’s stomach is iron-clad, it’s not.
- Turkey skin – Seems harmless enough, right? It’s just the skin. But fatty foods like turkey skin and gravy are difficult for dogs to digest. Your dog’s pancreas can even become inflamed, resulting in pancreatitis, a very serious disease. Turkey skin isn’t good for you, either, so it’s best to throw it away and make more room for the mashed potatoes and gravy.
- Beer – Some dogs love beer, but this doesn’t mean you should share a cold one with your dog. It can really do a number on your dog’s stomach. Depending on how much he consumes, the hops can cause your dog to have a fever, rapid heartbeat, seizures and liver damage. It can even be lethal.
- Onions and garlic – These two culprits are always on the list of foods your dog should not eat, and for very good reason: they can make your dog very sick. Both onions and garlic contain sulfides, which are toxic to dogs and can cause the destruction of red blood cells, leading to anemia.
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Thanksgiving Safety For Your Pets
Posted on November 21st, 2012The ASPCA has shared some helpful Thanksgiving tips for the Turkey Season!
Happy Thanksgiving from Clear the Air! Check out the following tips from ASPCA experts for a fulfilling Thanksgiving that your pets can enjoy, too.
Talkin’ Turkey – If you decide to feed your pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked. Don’t offer her raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella bacteria.
Sage Advice – Sage can make your Thanksgiving stuffing taste delish, but it and many other herbs contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large quantities. Cats are especially sensitive to the effects of certain essential oils.
No Bread Dough – Don’t spoil your pet’s holiday by giving him raw bread dough. According to ASPCA experts, when raw bread dough is ingested, an animal’s body heat causes the dough to rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting, severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become a life-threatening emergency, requiring surgery.
Don’t Let Them Eat Cake – If you’re baking up Thanksgiving cakes, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs—they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning.
Too Much of a Good Thing – A few small boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie shouldn’t pose a problem. However, don’t allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse—an inflammatory condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it’s best keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays.
A Feast Fit for a Kong – While the humans are chowing down, give your cat and dog their own little feast. Offer them Nylabones or made-for-pet chew bones. Or stuff their usual dinner—perhaps with a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans) and dribbles of gravy—inside a Kong toy. They’ll be happily occupied for awhile, working hard to extract their dinner from the toy.