Can You Feed Pets Leftover Table Food
📝 Summary
Everyone knows enjoying a good meal is often better than any activity. For our pet cats and dogs, the holidays are the best begging season of the year. We all slip them 'human food' now and then, but are holiday leftovers safe for them?
1 Overview
A holiday without turkey has no soul — for everyone, even cats and dogs. Lean, natural turkey is a great protein source and a safe occasional treat, with precautions.
If you’ve dieted, you know turkey skin (tasty) isn’t healthiest. Same for dieting pets. Extra fat and calories in the skin add weight and expose them to allergens, irritants or toxins.
Dogs love bones, but turkey bones are small and brittle, unsafe to chew. Splinters can choke or injure mouth, esophagus, stomach or intestines. A dog-specific chew bone is safe, like a dental stick.
Although raw feeding is trendy, vets advise against raw or undercooked meat and poultry. Undercooked turkey may expose pets to dangerous pathogens like salmonella; it could even sicken you.
A wrong ingredient turns a light, nutritious ‘feast’ unhealthy or dangerous. Added fat and sugar cause short-term gut upset and long-term issues like diabetes and pancreatitis.
Beware anything seasoned, cured or prepared with alliums. Onion and garlic are kitchen staples but can be fatal to pets.
To add flavor, use pet-specific gravy-style sauces.
Many fall/winter fruits and veggies give pets vitamins: pumpkin, green beans, broccoli. Apples are safe too, but remove seeds, core and stem first (they contain cyanide-like compounds that poison pets).
Remember, salt, seasonings and added fat also harm healthy foods. Don’t feed table leftovers; choose plain, unadorned parts. Same for fruit — a small slice of pitted, seedless, peeled fruit, not apple pie or canned cranberry sauce.
Some seasonal produce is safe, but some are serious risks. Besides alliums, vets warn against raisins, grapes and any raw potato.
Just because a pet can eat something doesn’t mean it should be a staple. Leftovers are a treat; remember human food is only a reward snack, under 10% of daily calories.
If your pet ingests something dangerous, stay calm and watch for warning signs. Choking is immediate; other poisoning symptoms may take minutes or hours:
1. Diarrhea
2. Excessive panting and drooling
3. Fever
4. Repetitive behavior
5. Vomiting
If your pet shows these warning signs, contact an emergency vet promptly. In pet health emergencies, quick action helps.
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