Pet Friendly Thanksgiving Leftovers

After the huge Thanksgiving feast is over, our friends and family stuffed full, what do we do with all of those leftovers? Well, here's one great idea if you follow some important guidelines. You can give some of the leftovers to your pet, but not all of them. 59.5% of all homes in the United States having at least one pet, as discovered by the Census Bureau survey in 2007, which is done every five years. We will all feel the urge to fill the bowls of our loveable companion with portions of the holiday feast. Before you do just that, find out exactly which foods may be okay and which foods could potentially land you a trip to the vet. Reason being many foods that are safe for us humans may pose a health hazard to our animals digestion process. And in some cases these problems can be fatal.

-Turkey is one thing on the menu that we will all be sure to have an abundance of. With an astounding number of 90% of U.S. households serving this main course for Thanksgiving, it will be mighty tempting to fill our pet's tray. But is it okay? I have found that in most cases, it is okay to share this food with your animals if you do it correctly. Make sure the turkey is thoroughly cooked and boneless. Remember that raw and undercooked turkey could possibly contain salmonella bacteria. And you never want to give an animal a poultry bone because they can splinter when the animal chews into them and this can harm your pets throat. Or on a worse note, if your pet swallows these splinters of bones, it can lead to very serious internal injuries.

-Fats from meat is also a potential health hazard for our pets. By feeding these cutaways from our turkey to our pets could possibly cause canine pancreatitis and gastroentertis. Both of which can be very serious and sometimes fatal. Canine pancreatitis is when the pancreas becomes inflamed. Some signs of this condition are frequent vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea which may sometimes contain blood, abdominal pain and weakness. Your pet may show these signs by being restless, wimpering or sometimes a sudden shock and falling to the floor.

-Foods containing onions is an absolute no for your pet. When a pet ingests onions it could cause hemolytic anemia. This condition could destroy your dog's red blood cells and lead to serious conditions. Some of the signs could show your dog being lethargic, breathing difficulties and having pale gums. Thankfully, the onions will not stay around in your pets system for long. They will pass through your dogs system and worst case sinario is you dog having to have a blood transfusion. So by all means, keep onions away from your dogs.

-Chocolate, we've all heard it's a bad pet food. And it actually is not good for your animals. It can raise your pet's heart rate, cause hyperactivity, frequent urinating, diarrhea, seizures and possibly lead to a coma. So pass on desert for your pet and keep them healthy.

-Grapes and raisins may be on your tables this holiday season, but keep the away from your pets. I was astounded to find out that both of these foods can be deadly to your pet. Raisins contain high amounts of fluoride and is a toxin when accumulated in the kidneys. And can lead to immediate death of our beloved pets. So be sure to keep these treats away from your animal. Remember, what may be good for us, is not always good for our family pet.

I hope you can use some of this helpful information for your own home this holiday season. And if you know anyone who also has household pets, be sure to pass this along. It could mean the life or death of our beloved family pets.