As you gather with friends and family for Thanksgiving, keep these tips in mind to keep your pet safe. Take a few minutes to ensure your home is ready for guests and your pets. Knowing you’ve taken a few steps to make Thanksgiving safe will put your mind at ease so you can fully enjoy the day!
Watch the Doors
With guests coming and going, it creates lots of opportunities for your dog or cat to slip out the door. Thanksgiving safety begins with creating barricades (like baby gates), keeping them in a different room, using a crate, or putting your dog on a leash while there is a lot of activity around the door.
Pets can get lost at any time but chances increase when you have guests. Be sure your pet is wearing ID tags with the accurate information. If your pet is microchipped, make sure it’s activated, and the information is up-to-date.
Keep Stress Low
Give your pet a safe place of their own. A quiet back room will give them a place to rest during the Thanksgiving festivities. Fill the space with comforting items, such as their crate, a favorite toy to keep them occupied, calming pheromones and other items that tell your pet they are safe.
Know Which Foods are Safe; Bad
While it can be tempting to share your Thanksgiving meal, many human foods are dangerous to pets including: turkey bones, chocolate, nutmeg, heavy cream, onions, garlic, chives, bread, potatoes nuts, stuffing, grapes, raisins, alcohol, xylitol and raw meat.
Limiting human food is the safe way to go, but there are a few safe Thanksgiving foods. Keep these in mind if you want to give your pet a treat: a small amount of turkey breast (no skin, gravy or butter), vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, green beans or sweet potato), or raw pumpkin (not pumpkin pie).
The same philosophy goes for pets as with humans… the safe bet is to not overindulge!
Be the “Treat Police”
Guests may not know which Thanksgiving foods are good for pets and which Thanksgiving favorites are bad. Keep your pet safe by asking everyone not to feed your pet any table scraps, no matter how cute their adorable begging face may be. Don’t be afraid to be the “treat police” and say no to guests who want to be generous.
Secure the Trash
Just as your mouth waters at the smell of the Thanksgiving turkey cooking in the oven, your pet will be curious to explore where they came from. The garbage will be extra appealing! Raw food, scraps, packaging and wrappers are dangerous to the digestive system. While your pet may practice self-restraint under normal circumstances, it doesn’t hurt to put the trash in a safe spot.
Know the Signs
Despite all the planning that goes into hosting a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, sometimes your dog or cat eats something it shouldn’t. Keep an eye out for these common symptoms that all is not right: vomiting or diarrhea, excessive drooling, irregular heartbeat, lethargy or trouble getting up, seizures or tremors, or a bloated or distended belly
If you see these signs or are concerned about irregular activity, it’s a good idea to play it safe and go to the vet.
Be Prepared for Emergencies
Many local vet offices are closed on Thanksgiving. It is always a good idea to plan ahead should an emergency arise. Know where the closest emergency vet clinic is located. Keep their information in a safe spot to ensure a scary situation is easier to handle.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Fetch! family to yours! We hope these Thanksgiving pet safety tips help you and your four-legged family!
