Keep Your Dog From Becoming A Stuffed Animal This Thanksgiving

By, Katy Cable/The Weekly Runt
4 minute read

​​Happy Thanksgiving! After last year’s pandemic, no doubt many of you are making up for it this year! Everyone seems busy, busy, busy, knee deep in preparations for the big feast. If this is a difficult holiday for you for whatever reasons, why not make it the year to do something completely different and start a new tradition. Step outside the norm and be creative! If you’re playing it safe by staying home and not gathering, embrace a peaceful, low-key, holiday! Or, how about celebrating “Pupsgiving?” Invite your closest friends (and their dogs) to come over and try out some fun new recipes,

But let's discuss our dogs for a second. As you may have noticed, many varieties of dog foods are turkey based. Turkey is a very gentle protein that doesn’t cause the same sensitivities as say, chicken or beef. Great news if you want to indulge your pets with some of your turkey feast! Actually, human "living foods" and "table scraps" can be a great thing. They key is HOW MUCH and WHAT KIND. So, here are some tips for enjoying a DOG-FRIENDLY Thanksgiving.

TIPS FOR A DOG SAFE THANKSGIVING:
🦃 Keep the dogs outside, in a bedroom, or in a safe place. If you have a dog run, kennel, or crate, your best bet is to keep the dog safely inside it until all of the food has been put away and the scraps and bones disposed of. It’s impossible to keep an eye on the dogs with guests coming and going and food everywhere.

🦃DON’T LEAVE UNCOOKED TURKEY UNATTENDED ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER – The smell is too tempting for a dog. Cooked turkey bones could choke a dog. Or, they can break/splinter while eating them. Broken bones can tear or get struck in any part of your dog’s gastrointestinal track as they work their way through the system.

🦃 Once you’ve cooked your turkey and before you sit down to eat, CLEAR AWAY ALL THE WRAPPINGS SUCH AS TIN FOIL, CELLOPHANE WRAP, PLASTIC BAGS, STRING AND MEAT SKEWERS – THEY ARE ALL POTENTIAL HAZARDS FOR YOUR DOG; I also recommend having someone in charge of clearing all the appetizers, food and drinks guests may have left laying around while watching football, prior to the meal. Clear trash immediately and IF YOU PUT THE WRAPPINGS IN THE BIN, MAKE SURE THE LID IS ON FIRMLY. We have used bricks on the bin kid to keep out persistent scavengers.

🦃 I PREPARE A TURKEY dinner for the dogs with Nulo canned turkey, dried organic cranberries, puréed canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and ground pumpkin seeds. If possible, I add some gizzards, and fresh turkey meat to their food as a topper. It may be possible for the dogs to eat alongside the family. If not, return them to an empty bedroom until the meal is finished.

🦃I also stock up on toys for my dogs to play with. Before the meal I present a Kong stuffed with kibble or white turkey meat to keep them entertained. If your dog is happily playing, they're not getting into mischief in the kitchen.

🦃A TIRED DOG IS A GOOD DOG. Do your own “turkey trot” by getting out and giving your dog a good, energetic walk, trot, jog, or run in the morning. If you have an older dog, maybe a long walk in the stroller for fresh air. This way, they will be BE MORE INCLINED TO SLEEP OR AT LEAST LIE QUIETLY WHILST YOU ARE PREPARING AND EATING YOUR TURKEY FEAST!

🦃If Thanksgiving gets too hectic, grab all the dogs and go for a nice walk. It might be a great escape and help you and the dogs gets one fresh air and manage the stress of the day.

🦃For anxious, stressed-out dogs, try CBD! I swear by this stuff. CBD can have a drastic effect calming anxious dogs. I recommenced Bailey’s CBD which is organic, hand farmed, tested, audited and verified for purity and potency. It’s also human grade so you can indulge as well! It will do a lot to help calm and sooth everyone’s holiday stress. Especially if you are the designated driver! To receive a 20% discount on your first order use code: The Weekly Runt.

JUST TO BE SAFE:

🦃Most Veterinary offices will be closed on Thanksgiving. Know the phone number and the closest 24hr. Emergency Animal Hospital.

🦃Dogs and cats can get anxious with the commotion and unfamiliar crowds, make sure they are wearing a proper ID should they get out.

​🦃Remind guests not to indulge your dog and be cautious. Those who don't own pets may not understand their ability to get into food and the complete lack of willpower many pets have when it comes to food. As a reminder, dogs and alcohol dogs and alcohol don’t mix either.

🦃While turkey meat and organs can be a wonderful healthy meal or treat, RICH, FATTY FOODS SUCH AS TURKEY SKIN AND DARK TURKEY MEAT ARE DIFFICULT TO DIGEST AND CAN CAUSE VOMITING AND DIARRHEA IN YOUR DOG. IN EXTREME CASES, BLOAT OR PANCREATITIS.*
SYMPTOMS OF PANCREATITIS INCLUDE LOSS OF APPETITE, LETHARGY, VOMITING, ABDOMINAL PAIN, DIARRHEA AND FEVER. IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR DOG HAS HELPED HIMSELF TO A TURKEY DINNER AND IS SHOWING ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS, I SUGGEST YOU TAKE HIM TO YOUR VET AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

No-No's for dogs:
Artificial sweetner: Xylitol (100x's more deadly than chocolate) found in sugarless gum, breath mints, candy, peanut butters, sugar-free foods.
chocolate -The darker the more toxic. Also:
caffeine, alcohol, onions, grapes, raisins, popcorn, garlic, salt/sugar, macadamia nuts, avocado skin & pits.

I want to wish each and every one of you, and your beloved pets, a wonderful, happy, SAFE Thanksgiving! Gooble-Gooble🦃❤️🐾


​*(PANCREATITIS IS AN INFLAMMATION OF THE PANCREAS WHICH CAN BE LETHAL FOR YOUR DOG.) THE PANCREAS PRODUCES DIGESTIVE ENZYMES, AND WHEN INFLAMED THE NATURAL PRODUCTION AND RELEASE OF THESE ENZYMES IS DISRUPTED. WHEN THE DIGESTIVE ENZYMES ARE PRODUCED AND THERE’S NO FOOD TO DIGEST, THE ENZYMES WILL START DIGESTING BODY TISSUE INSTEAD. THIS CAUSES FURTHER INFLAMMATION OF THE PANCREAS THE SEVERITY OF THE PANCREATITIS, AND YOUR DOG’S PROGNOSIS, WILL DEPEND ON HOW HE REACTS TO THIS INFLAMMATION.

​🐾Katy Cable is a former actress appearing in “Back To The Future” and starring in the TV series: “Safe At Home” & “ Fired Up!” In addition to her dog health & lifestyle blog/vlog: The Weekly Runt, (https://www.weeklyrunt.com/) she’s a contributing writer to numerous publications including Thrive Global, & The Huffington Post. Cable lives at the beach with her husband, Rick and her rescue Pug, Olive.🐾

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