Toxic Thanksgiving Foods For Dogs & Cats

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to spend time with family and friends, often over a big meal. While you enjoy that big holiday meal, it’s important know about toxic Thanksgiving foods for dogs & cats. Given that our pets are part of our families, it’s natural to want to include them in the festivities. However, it’s important to understand that some treats from the Thanksgiving table can be harmful to your pets. Here’s a look at the foods that should never be shared with your pets, in order to avoid a trip to the vet emergency hospital.

Toxic Thanksgiving Foods For Dogs & Cats: ONIONS & GARLIC

Onions are included in many Thanksgiving recipes, including dressing, stuffing, and the traditional green bean casserole. Garlic might be part of the baste for your turkey. They are both members of the Allium genus which also includes shallots, leeks, scallions, and chives. These plants contain oxidants that damage the red blood cells (erythrocytes) that carry oxygen in the blood. The damage can cause the red blood cells to burst in a process called hemolysis. Hemolysis in turn leads to anemia, and this can be life-threatening. Cooking does not reduce the toxicity of onions and garlic. In addition, onion and garlic powders are even more toxic as the oxidants are highly concentrated in these products. Less than 1 ounce of onion is toxic to a 10-lb dog or cat, and garlic is toxic at even lower doses.

Toxic Thanksgiving Foods For Dogs & Cats: GRAPES & RAISINS

Grapes and raisins also may find their way to the Thanksgiving table, and these too pose a risk to your pet. Until recently, we did not know why grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs and, less commonly, cats. But work by the ASPCA Poison Control Center points toward a compound called tartaric acid. Ingestion of grapes and raisins may cause upset of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and damage to the kidneys. To complicate matters, not every dog or cat experiences these issues after eating grapes or raisins. We cannot know who will or won’t be affected. Therefore, we need to presume that any pet who eats grapes or raisins has the potential to develop clinical signs. Generally, ingestion of 1 grape or raisin per 10 pounds of body weight has the potential to cause harm.

Toxic Thanksgiving Foods For Dogs & Cats: FATTY FOODS

Other foods from the Thanksgiving table might not be toxic per se but could still prove problematic. Any abrupt change in the diet creates the potential for GI upset. Fatty foods like ham, gravy, and desserts can trigger a more serious condition called pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreatitis results in abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea among other complications. The ingestion of bones causes irritation of the GI tract, resulting in clinical signs like pancreatitis, but there is also the risk for a blockage in the GI tract—a condition that requires emergency surgery. Many veterinary hospitals around the country report seeing a marked rise in cases of pancreatitis in dogs right after Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas. The mortality rate for pancreatitis in dogs is high – between 27-58%.

No one wants to spend the holidays in the veterinary emergency room, and the best way to avoid doing so is to stick to your dog or cat’s normal diet. Set aside space away from the food for your pets and remind your human houseguests to keep their meals to themselves. If the temptation to treat your dog or cat is simply too great to ignore, it’s usually safe to offer a small amount of skinless white turkey meat.

Toxic Thanksgiving Foods For Dogs & Cats: TREATMENT OPTIONS

If your pet does eat a potentially toxic food or develops GI upset after a treat, the first step is to notify a veterinarian. On a holiday or weekend, be ready to call your closest veterinary emergency clinic. We also encourage pet owners to call the ASPCA Pet Poison Control Center. There is a fee for the phone consultation, but this group of experts will provide valuable recommendations and a case number that can be referenced by your primary or emergency veterinarian for follow-up consultation at no additional cost. Treatments will vary, depending on the substance your pet ingested, but may include induction of vomiting to clear toxins from the stomach, IV fluids, and medications to protect or soothe the GI tract.

In the event that you experience a veterinary emergency because of toxic Thanksgiving foods fed to your pets, here are important emergency veterinary contact numbers for the Birmingham/Hoover Alabama area:

Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital / 205-823-6002

Steel City Emergency Vets / 205-413-8989

Veterinary Specialists of Birmingham / 205-967-9107

Blue Pearl Pet Hospital / 205-460-2220

ASPCA Pet Poison Control Center / 888-426-4435