CLEVELAND — As families gather around the table for Thanksgiving dinner, make sure you watch out for those extra scraps your pet wants to eat.
The leader in medical insurance for pets, Trupanion, wants pet owners to be aware of the costs and consequences that could come from letting their pets eat Thanksgiving leftovers.
One of the most dangerous foods a pet can eat is dark turkey meat. According to Trupanion, just five ounces of dark meat is the same number of calories as an entire eight-inch pumpkin pie for humans.
The following is a list of foods that you should avoid giving your four-legged friends this holiday season:
- Turkey (certain parts): The skin, fat, and dark meat on a turkey should be kept away from your pets. If your pet gets a hold of any cooked bones, this could damage your pet's digestive system and cause choking or ingestion problems. Regular white meat is fine, but should be monitored.
- Stuffing: Many of the ingredients in stuffing are toxic to pets. The combination of onions, chives, garlic and scallions is dangerous for your pet. Butter is also a fat that pets do not need in their body.
- Mashed potatoes: If the potatoes have any kind of toppings such as onions, scallions, or chives, they must be kept away from your furry friends. If the potatoes are plain, they will not harm your pets.
- Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie: The final sweets should be kept only to the humans. As a replacement, many stores sell dog-friendly pumpkin treats that don't contain all the sugar.
Trupanion also noted that the following ingredients are potentially toxic for pets:
- Butter and other fats
- Garlic, chives, onions, scallions
- Raisins, currents, grapes
- Candied sweet potatoes or yams