Holiday Foods That Are Safe & Healthy To Share With Our Pets

Thanksgiving is a day for giving thanks AND for eating huge meals.  So many of us are tempted to share special treats with our pets under the table – yet we know it is wrong to do this. There are, however, quite a few holiday foods that are safe and healthy to share with our pets. Here are a few of them:

Sweet potatoes are full of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants to help fight the effects of aging.

Brussels sprouts are rich in fiber and vitamins and have cancer-fighting properties that can benefit your cat or dog as much as they benefit you. These can be fed as a snack raw or cooked.

Carrots, fresh and raw, are often mentioned as ideal snack for dogs. They also have lots of vitamins, fiber and potassium. Cats also enjoy the benefits of carrots but raw carrots can be hard for some cats to digest. It is best to offer them cooked carrots.

Cranberries have vitamins A, B1, B2, and C. They help maintain healthy urinary tracts. Cats especially can benefit from eating cranberries. If you make your cranberry sauce using fresh cranberries you can safely share this with your dog or cat. Canned or jellied cranberry sauce has too much sugar and should not be given to pets.

Pumpkin is good for dogs to eat not only because it’s low in calories and bursting with vitamins, beta carotene and fiber, but also because it helps with a dog’s digestion. If Fido is suffering from an upset tummy, diarrhea or constipation, a little bit of pumpkin may be just what the veterinarian ordered. It is important to use fresh or the plain canned variety and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling contains sugars and spices.

Offer these as snacks and avoid feeding them too much at one time. Do not add salt, butter, other dressings, or spices.

Our pets will be thankful for their healthy Thanksgiving snacks.