Human food is tempting for any dog on any day. However, holiday food can be especially enticing.
"It's very common for people to give them leftovers or scraps from the table," said Dr. Pablo Mendoza-Integrative Veterinarian & Medical Director, Mountain View Animal Hospital. "We highly, highly recommend not to do that especially for the holidays."
Dr. Mendoza says animal emergency hospitals and veterinarian offices see a spike in calls this time of year and it is mostly due to dogs eating things that they should not. Â Â
"It happens all of the time," said Dr. Mendoza. "I bet all veterinarian hospitals will receive some patient with indigestion or some related issue to food the owners gave purposefully or the dog went into the trash can or found a lot of food leftovers."
Anything with a bone, like turkey, can potentially get blocked in your pet's stomach, according to Dr. Mendoza.
"There's high potential for GI obstruction, GI laceration, or just indigestion."Â
Some vegetables should be avoided as well.
"Onions, garlic, and scallions too can cause quite severe disease for the kidneys and liver," he said.
Chocolate and raisins are toxic according to Dr. Mendoza. The best advice is to play it safe, even if they give you those big, sad, 'puppy eyes.'
"I'm sure they are going to beg you, but be strong," said Dr. Mendoza. "Don't give them anything off the table."
There are some safe options, however, that are worth considering.
"If you want to make something special, you can always improvise with like with canned dog food or some healthy treats that you can buy at the store," he said. "They offer high quality proteins that have been made especially for dogs."
Dr. Mendoza says if your pet eats something and you are not sure if it is poisonous, he recommends to call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control. That number is 888-426-4435.
