While you're prepping for Thanksgiving dinner this year, take some time to think before you dish any delicious scraps to your favorite furry companions.
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With the help of experts over at the ASPCA and the Pet Poison Helpline, we've compiled a list of dangerous foods that could potentially hurt Fido and Fluffy.
- Turkey: Raw or undercooked turkey may contain salmonella bacteria. Even leftover bones may pose problems for your pet's digestive tract. Additionally, ingesting turkey brine could result in salt toxicity.
- Raw bread dough: Ingesting raw yeast bread dough can result in "bloated drunken pets" and lead to a life-threatening emergency.Cake: Raw eggs may contain salmonella bacteria and could result in food poisoning.
- Chocolate: Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, can result in vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, increased heart rate or seizures.
- Nuts: Nuts, which are high in fat, increase risk of pancreatitis. Macadamia nuts in particular may lead to vomiting, diarrhea or unsteady walking.
- Fatty foods: Butter, gravy, bacon and other delicious fatty goods can pose serious threats of pancreatitis in pets. While symptoms may not be immediate, look out for vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and loss of appetite.
- Raisins, grapes, currents: Consuming these may result in acute renal failure in dogs.
- Discarded food items: Just like discarded turkey bones, other discarded items such as corncobs can lead to obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract. This may require surgery.
- Xylitol (artificial sweetener): Found in candies or sweetened desserts, xylitol can decrease a dog's blood sugar and result in liver damage.
Remember to keep coffee and alcohol away from pets as well. According to the ASPCA and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, caffeine can lead to abnormal heart rhythms and alcohol may result in dropped blood sugar, potentially proving fatal.
"A few small boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie shouldn't pose a problem," according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "However, don't allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse -- an inflammatory condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it's best (to) keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays."
Learn more about pet safety this holiday season at petpoisonhelpline.com.