What to know about making a Thanksgiving meal safe for your furry friend
Charles Dunlap
Columbia resident Rachel Newman launched a fundraiser this year to support the Central Missouri Humane Society.
She cooked and sold Thanksgiving meals safe for dogs, so they can celebrate with their human families. Orders were distributed Sunday, and she hopes to continue this fundraiser for the society next year.
But if you did not get a chance to order from Newman, here is what you can do to make this holiday special for your pet:
Consult with your veterinarian
One of the first steps a person should take before making their pet a special meal for Thanksgiving or other holidays is talking to a veterinarian.
Newman consulted with Dr. Stephanie Schlotzhauer at Horton Animal Hospital Northeast to get Schlotzhauer's menu recommendations for the fundraiser.
Newman sourced produce from the Root Cellar in Columbia and the turkey from Buttonwood Farms of California, Missouri. Her menu consisted of boneless turkey breast, mashed potato, mashed sweet potato, green beans, a cheddar and carrot chewy treat, and a pumpkin pie treat — all made without spices or extra seasonings and minimal oil as to be safe for dogs.
"Owners should always consider their dogs' stomach sensitivities as well as rely on a veterinarian's advice before feeding them meals," Schlotzhauer advised. "A good rule of thumb would be about one cup of protein and two cups of carbs would equal one meal for a small-medium dog. Large-breed dogs would need two to three times that amount."
For those who want to make a meal for their dog or cat, Schlotzhauer also recommended consulting the Balance It website.
"It is a website for owners that would like to cook for their dogs and cats and make sure (meals) are complete and balanced," Schlotzhauer said. "This site is meant to give you recipes and amounts to feed per weight, and you can pick the ingredients."
More:Thanksgiving dinner for dogs? Columbia woman distributes meals for pets to benefit Humane Society
What is safe for a pet?
Newman also used advice from the American Kennel Club website, which provided information on safe Thanksgiving foods to share with a pet.
Bland is the name of the game when it comes to creating safe-to-eat food for pets.
Turkey, potatoes and pumpkin are safe for pets, but bones, sweets, alcohol and fatty foods should be avoided, according to the AKC.
Turkey bones can damage a pet's digestive tract, the AKC advises. The club also recommends not to feed pets the turkey skin.
Did you make a sweet potato casserole for your table? While sweet potatoes are OK for dogs, the added sugar and fats, including the marshmallow topping, are not safe for them. Think about setting aside some of the sweet potatoes so they can just be plainly baked or boiled and mashed.
The same goes for regular mashed potatoes. Plain baked or boiled and mashed without extra butter, salt, milk or pepper is safest. While dogs could have some dairy like milk or yogurt, they may be lactose-intolerant. Yes, even dogs can be lactose-intolerant.
Vegetables like green beans or peas should be given plainly, without extra seasonings or fats.
The pumpkin pie treat Newman created was based on a recipe from beChewy.com, which is essentially a blog for the Chewy pet supplies provider.
The recipe uses ground oats, an egg and water. This mixture is pressed into a muffin tin and baked to form a pie crust. Dollops of plain canned pumpkin are put into the pie crust muffin cups. If making for your own dog, make sure it is plain canned pumpkin and not a pre-spiced pie mix, the AKC said.
More:Where to purchase last-minute Thanksgiving groceries in Columbia
Foods to avoid giving to pets
Foods from the Thanksgiving table that owners should avoid giving to their pets include the following, per AKC recommendations:
- gravy
- stuffing
- casseroles
- chocolate, cookies, pies and sweets (especially anything containing xylitol)
- alcoholic beverages
- raisins and grapes
- onions, scallions and garlic
- ham
- yeast dough
- fatty foods
- any foods containing spices
Jerry Klein, chief veterinary officer for AKC, notes there is an increase in emergency calls for pets around this time of year because they have been fed something that is unsafe from a holiday table, or they got into the trash afterward.