Holiday Feasts and Fido: Navigating Table Scraps and Food Safety for Your Pup
The holidays are here, which means one thing: food. Glorious, delicious, everywhere-you-turn, food. While we humans load up our plates and maybe even squeeze into those stretchy pants, it’s easy to forget about the four-legged family member giving you that “but I’m starving” look from under the table. But before you toss them a scrap out of guilt—or to stop the whining—let’s talk about what’s safe for dogs to eat and what can land you in the vet’s office faster than you can say "leftovers."
The Big No-Nos
You’d think this list would be short. Spoiler alert: it’s not.
Turkey Bones & Skin While your dog might be eyeing that turkey leg like it’s their life’s mission, cooked bones are a choking hazard and can splinter into sharp shards. As for the skin? It’s packed with spices, fat, and potential for pancreatitis.
Onions, Garlic, and Allium Anything These aren’t just…
Adding onto the onion/garlic point since it trips people up every year. It's not just the fresh stuff, it's anything derived from it too, so watch out for gravies, stuffing, and broths that usually have onion or garlic powder mixed in even if you don't see actual pieces.
Also want to flag macadamia nuts since they don't always make these lists but they're common around the holidays in baked goods. Dogs can get weakness, tremors, and elevated temp from those, usually within 12 hours.
One thing that's helped in my house is that we started keeping a small "yes pile" of dog-safe stuff (plain turkey, a few green beans) in a bowl on the counter so when people ask "can I give him something," there's an easy answer instead of them just guessing. Cuts down on the sneaking-under-the-table stuff a lot.