Thanksgiving Pet Safety Tips
This year, as you gear up to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with friends and family, make sure your cat or dog (or other furry friend) can enjoy a safe, happy holiday with you. If you’re leaving town, our number one suggestion is that you hire a professional pet sitter. If you’re celebrating at home, then the following tips for Thanksgiving pet safety can mean the difference between a fun, healthy holiday and a dangerous one for your pets.
Thanksgiving Pet Safety: The Dinner Table
- If you want to give your pet a special holiday treat, remember that animals’ digestive systems are different than ours. They have different food sensitivities, and can’t digest some of the fatty foods that we eat.
- If you want to give your pet a taste of turkey, make sure that you give them a small piece that’s boneless and skinless. Poultry bones can damage an animal’s digestive system. And make sure it’s fully cooked–raw or undercooked turkey could contain salmonella bacteria.
- To learn about other people foods that are harmful to cats and dogs, check out this list from ASPCA.org. Some of the foods listed include raisins, grapes, chocolate, and alcohol. Read through the complete list before feeding your pup any people food.
- Read through the Pet Poison Helpline’s list of Thanksgiving pet safety tips for more information on other Thanksgiving foods that pose a danger to your pets.
- If you think your pet has ingested something topic, take action immediately, even if you’re not sure what they ate. You can call the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline at 888-426-4435. Some signs of toxicity include vomiting, pain, diarrhea, and sudden changes in behavior.
Safety at Gatherings
- Careful with doors–be aware that guests entering and leaving the house will often hold or leave doors open, so keep an eye on your pets while this is going on. And to be safe, your pets should be wearing identification tags with your contact information. Have your pet microchipped for even greater security.
- Keep an eye on your anxious furry friends. A pet with anxiety will probably have their emotions stirred up if you’ve got a crowd of unfamiliar people in the house. Make sure you talk to guests ahead of time about your pets so they know how (or if) to approach your animals. And if you think the anxiety will ruin your pet’s good time, consider leaving him/her with a pet sitter for the day, or maybe even just letting him chill in a separate room or crate with a favorite toy.
- Keep toys and treats on hand to distract pets/reward good behavior while you’re hosting guests.
- Remember pets can be unpredictable around children, and not all children are used to pets. Supervise all kid-pet interactions for everyone’s safety.
- While you’re preparing food, ask a responsible guest to keep an eye on your pets in a separate room. This eliminates the dangers of counter surfing.
Pet Safety: The Holiday Season Overall
- Make sure your pet gets enough regular exercise, even when your schedule may be wacky. You can always hire a pet sitter or dog walker to help get that exercise in if you don’t have time!
- Keep an eye on your cats and dogs when they’re around holiday decorations. Most, if not all, materials found in holiday decorations are toxic and/or unsafe for your pets to digest. Keep pine cones and needles high enough that your pet can’t reach them, and don’t leave a pet alone with a burning candle.
