- Do you always sneak a bite of your Thanksgiving dinner under the table to a hungry dog? Well wait before you plate!
- 23ABC's Ava Kershner rounded up a list of the classic Thanksgiving food items and ran them by the City of Bakersfield's Animal care Center to find out what's okay and what's not to feed Fido.
“Turkey is fine, you want to avoid the skin if you can,” said Director of the City of Bakersfield Animal care Center, Matthew Buck.
If you're feeling thankful for your furry friend you might want to save them a seat for Thanksgiving dinner.
But wait before you plate, because some holiday foods are actually good for dogs- and some can be dangerous for their health.
The team at 23ABC came up with a list of classic Thanksgiving dinner items and ran them by the Director of Bakersfield's Animal Care Center, Matthew Buck, who provided this disclaimer:
“So first of all- you want to consult with your veterinarian before you give your dog any kind of human food,” said Buck.
The foods to avoid include cranberries, food with garlic and onions like stuffing, and gravy only if it has either of those ingredients in it.
Also keep the sweets away from them, so you have more apple and pecan pie for yourself.
And while a little bit may be okay, just watch the starches.
“Mashed potatoes are okay, starches are something you want to kind of avoid with dogs so very little bit of mashed potatoes like a little spoonful would be okay,” said Buck.
As for what food is a go for Fido, it's good to remember the colors orange and green.
“Green beans, green peas are all really good. Sweet potatoes are good- any of the orange vegetables, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots are good for dogs,” said Buck.
Buck also recommends remembering pet safety around the house, like keeping fences closed while people are coming in and out of your house to stop animals from escaping.
Also making sure trash cans filled with bones, garlic or onion scraps don’t overflow.
So if you want to show your dog a little thankfulness, as long as you keep the food pet safe, they can be a part of the celebration too.
“Totally cool with giving them a little plate, we will even give our dogs here at the shelter a little plate. It will have a little bit of turkey, some mixed vegetables, and some sweet potato on it,” said Buck.
As promised, here is the list we ran by Buck, and his answers:
Turkey- Okay for dogs.*
Mashed potatoes- Small portions of starches are okay.
Ham- Okay for dogs.*
Mac and cheese- Small portions of starches are okay.
Cranberries- While online sources say yes, Buck says probably not okay.
Biscuits- Okay for dogs.*
Sweet potatoes- Okay for dogs.*
Collard greens- Buck did not know so we researched and found it should be okay for dogs*, remove stems and cook first.
Green bean casserole- Green beans are okay, onions and garlic are not.
Stuffing- Not okay.
Pumpkin pie- Better to just stick to pumpkin puree.
Gravy- Not okay if it has garlic and onions.
Hawaiian rolls- Okay for dogs.*
Cornbread- Okay for dogs.*
Pecan pie- Not okay.
Apple pie- Not okay.
Roasted carrots- Okay for dogs.*
*In Moderation.
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