It’s Turkey Day! Time for family, friends, turkey, football, and pumpkin pie everything! If you are anything like me, you are so focused and stressed out about making sure that the green bean casserole is done at the same time as the stuffing that you become a little less attentive on what is going on with your pet or anyone else in your house for that matter. Before you know it, Fido could be grabbing a roll off of the pretty table that you just decorated and it is too late for you to tell him to drop it or Uncle Joe just gave Fluffy some goodies off of his plate. Remember that it is ok and don’t stress out too much. I am not saying to not feed your dog that piece of turkey, just want to give some tips to make things a little safer for your four-legged baby during the hectic holiday. Let’s keep it simple..the do’s and don’ts.

The Meal:

A little taste is ok, but everything needs to be given in moderation. If you feed too much of anything that your dog isn’t used to it can cause belly issues. On top of your already large after-meal clean up you do not want to add cleaning up explosive diarrhea to your to-do list.

STAY AWAY FROM THE BONES! If you do not take any other advice…please please please do not give your dog any turkey bones. These little enemies can splinter and cause damage to the esophagus, intestines, and stomach. Some other foods to avoid: raisins, grapes, onions, garlic, mushrooms, raw eggs, chocolate, and alcohol.

The Door:

Most dogs get super excited when they hear the doorbell or a knock at the door. Mine likes to charge full speed ahead to greet whoever is coming in because we all know that they are obviously there to see her. Some dogs get so overwhelmed with excitement that their manners go right out the window, some may bolt out the door to say hello to a neighbor who is walking across the street and some may jump on their friends who are walking through the door. With so much chaos and excitement, it may be a good idea to put Fluffy in a safe place such as a bedroom or laundry room (with chemicals out of reach of course) just until everyone arrives.

Hot Dishes:

How can the pooch resist all of those amazing smells? We can hardly contain our excitement so imagine how they are handling it. They are probably ready to jump out of their skin when they see you bringing the bird to the table. Some dogs cannot get a grip on their excitement so they follow you back and forth to the kitchen as you carry hot plates to the table. One wrong move and you could be tripping over Fido and down comes you and the mashed potatoes. This might also be a good time to move Fido to another room for your safety as well as his.

The Turkey Aftermath:

After the meal is done and everyone is in a food coma on the sofa watching football or “resting” their eyes you will be tempted to join. Unfortunately, there is a huge mess of plates, foil, bottle tops, empty bottles, cans, plastic bags…the mess is endless! Remember that most of those things have touched the yummy morsels that your pet is dying to sink his teeth into. Make life easy, eliminate the temptation for your fur baby and just throw it in the garbage and take the garbage out immediately. Now that the dangers are gone and Thanksgiving has been a success…sit down, relax, and make your husband do the dishes (haha). Happy Thanksgiving and remember to keep those pets safe during the holiday!