The holidays are a time for sharing—family, friends, and, of course, the Christmas feast. Many of us share our holiday meals with our beloved pets.
The point of this blog is not whether it is OK or not OK to share holiday dinner with your pets. This post is about assisting you to do it in the safest, most healthful way possible. As a point of full disclosure, I come from a family that shared holiday dinner with our pets, though not always in the most healthful ways. We want to help you avoid holiday tummy troubles like diarrhea, vomiting, or, much worse, pancreatitis.
The Golden Rules for Sharing
If you share with your pet, start by following these three rules to keep your pets healthy:
- Go Lightly: Don’t replace your pet’s regular meal with a plate of Christmas yummies. Instead, just give them a small sample as a topper on their usual dinner. Remember that small treats, like a some turkey or ham, throughout the day can add up fast!
- Avoid High-Fat Items: Never share greasy turkey skin, pan drippings, or the fat trimmed from prime rib or ham. A sudden influx of high-fat food is believed to be a trigger pancreatitis, a severe and life-threatening condition for dogs.
- No Cooked Bones: Cooking dries bones, making them brittle and easy to splinter. Fragments from cooked bones (turkey, chicken, pork, or beef) can puncture or become lodged anywhere in your pet’s digestive tract.
Holiday Foods: With a Bit of Caution
While holiday foods are fine for humans, we need to be aware of hidden dangers for pets in common holiday dishes:
- Turkey (Caution: High Sodium)
- The Issue: Brining (whether self-brined or through store bought self-basting or kosher birds) significantly increases the salt content, which is hard on a pet’s kidneys.
- The Rule: Share only small amounts of unseasoned, plain white meat.
- Ham (Caution: High Sodium & Nitrates)
- The Issue: Cured ham has much more salt and nitrates than turkey.
- The Rule: If you must share, use extreme care and offer tiny portions. Avoid glazes (like brown sugar) and drippings completely.
- Seafood (Salmon, Crab)
- The Issue: Must be prepared properly to avoid parasites, bones, or rich additions.
- The Rule: It must be thoroughly cooked and completely free of bones, shells, cartilage, butter, and oil.
- Sweet Potatoes (Excellent Choice – Plain)
- The Issue: Classic casseroles are loaded with butter, sugar, and marshmallows, which are unsafe.
- The Rule: A great treat only if it is plain baked or boiled (no butter, sugar, or salt).
- Cranberries (Caution: Sugar)
- The Issue: Sauces and dried versions often contain high sugar or the toxic sweetener xylitol.
- The Rule: A few fresh cranberries are okay. Avoid canned, dried, or sauce versions.
- Stuffing (NO)
- The Issue: Most recipes contain toxic ingredients like onions, garlic, and excessive spices.
- The Rule: Leave this off your pet’s plate entirely.
- Green Bean Casserole
- The Issue: Soups that are often used can be high in sodium and the onion straws on top are a definite no-no.
- The Rule: Keep some of plain green beans out of the casserole just for Fido.
Absolutely DO NOT Share (Pet Toxins)
These common ingredients in holiday foods are toxic to pets and must never be shared, even in small amounts:
- Chocolate: Contains theobromine, which is toxic to dogs.
- Grapes & Raisins: Can cause acute kidney failure.
- Onions, Garlic, & Chives: Can damage red blood cells and cause anemia.
- Xylitol (Artificial Sweetener): Can cause a rapid insulin release, leading to liver failure and death.
- Alcohol: Even small amounts can cause serious health problems.
- Avocados: Contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
- Macadamia Nuts: Can cause weakness, vomiting, and hyperthermia.
- Caffeine/Coffee: Stimulants that can harm the nervous system.
- Mushrooms: Best to avoid, as many varieties are toxic.
We hope this sheds a little light on how to share your holiday dinner with your pets in a safe and healthful manner. Happy Holidays from all of us!