What Thanksgiving Food Can Dogs Eat? A Plate by Plate Guide from a Surrey Vet

Thanksgiving dinner can be hard for dogs to resist, especially when everyone is sharing food. If you’re wondering what’s safe to share with your dog on Monday, October 12, here’s a simple guide to common Thanksgiving dishes and what your dog can and can’t eat.

What Thanksgiving food can dogs eat?

The safe list is shorter than the menu. In small amounts, these are generally fine for most dogs:

Plain turkey meat, with no skin, bones or seasoning
Plain cooked green beans
Plain cooked carrots
Plain cooked sweet potato or pumpkin, with no butter, sugar or spices

“Plain” is doing a lot of work there. Once butter, salt, garlic, onion, sugar or marshmallows get involved, the answer changes. If you’d like your dog to feel included, set aside a few plain pieces before you season anything.

Can dogs eat stuffing?

No. Stuffing almost always contains onion, garlic, leeks or chives, all of which are toxic to dogs, along with butter and salt. Some recipes also add raisins, which are toxic to dogs too. Stuffing is one dish best kept entirely off your dog’s plate.

Can dogs eat mashed potatoes?

Plain cooked potato is generally fine for dogs in a small amount, but Thanksgiving mashed potatoes are rarely plain. Butter, cream, cheese, salt and especially garlic make them a poor choice. Skip them, or set aside a spoonful of plain potato before anything is added.

Can dogs eat gravy?

No. Gravy is made from fat and drippings, often with onion, garlic and plenty of salt. Fatty foods are hard for dogs to digest and can trigger pancreatitis, a painful condition that sometimes needs hospital care. However good it smells, keep it on your plate.

Can dogs eat cranberry sauce?

It’s best to skip it. Cranberries themselves aren’t considered toxic to dogs, but cranberry sauce is mostly sugar, and some recipes add raisins or alcohol, both of which are dangerous for dogs. A plain fresh cranberry is a safer way to let a curious dog try one.

Can dogs eat pumpkin pie?

No. Plain cooked pumpkin is generally fine for dogs in small pieces, but pumpkin pie comes with sugar, spices and a buttery crust. Sugar free versions can also contain xylitol, a sweetener that is very dangerous for dogs. Keep the pie for the humans.

Can dogs eat bread?

A small piece of plain baked bread with no butter is generally fine. Raw yeast dough is a different story: it can keep rising in a dog’s stomach, causing painful gas and dangerous bloating, and it produces alcohol as it ferments. If you’re baking rolls, keep the rising dough well out of reach.

Thanksgiving foods toxic to dogs

If your dog eats any of these, call your vet right away rather than waiting for symptoms:

Onions, garlic, leeks and chives, often hidden in stuffing, gravy and mashed potatoes
Grapes and raisins
Chocolate, especially dark and baking chocolate
Xylitol, a sweetener in some sugar free desserts, gum and baked goods
Raw yeast bread dough
Alcohol
Cooked bones, which can splinter and cause blockages
Fatty foods like turkey skin, gravy and drippings, which can trigger pancreatitis

Are Thanksgiving decorations safe for pets?

Not always. Corn cobs, pine cones and small gourds on the table can cause choking or a blockage if swallowed. Some common bouquet flowers, including amaryllis, baby’s breath, sweet William, hydrangeas and some ferns, are toxic to pets.

Lilies are the big one for cat owners. Every part of the plant, including the pollen and the water in the vase, can cause serious kidney damage in cats. Ask your florist for a lily free arrangement.

What are the signs my dog ate something bad?

Call your vet if you notice any of these after a holiday meal: vomiting, diarrhea, a sore or swollen belly, drooling, restlessness, not eating, unusual quietness, or any sudden change in behaviour.

With things like xylitol, chocolate and bones, don’t wait for signs. Call as soon as you know your dog got into something.

Need a vet this Thanksgiving in Surrey?

Mascot Animal Hospital is a locally owned veterinary clinic in Surrey, BC, at 17767 64 Ave #109, Surrey, BC V3S 1Z2. Pet families come to us from across Surrey and from Langley Township, Fleetwood, Walnut Grove, Willoughby and Cloverdale. We’re open every day from 8am to 11pm, with same day appointments for urgent concerns.

If your dog has eaten something from the list above, call us right away. Overnight, go to the nearest 24 hour emergency hospital.