20/12/2024
Christmas can be an exciting time for all the family, so it’s not surprising that people want to include their four-legged family members in the festivities. This may include feeding a few yuletide treats, but be warned, some of our favourite seasonal foods could spoil your dog’s day very quickly! Common Christmas foods can cause anything from digestive upset to serious, life-threatening toxicity.
Firstly, there’s absolutely no need to feed your dog anything in addition to their usual, complete food if it’s not right for them, or you’d prefer to play it safe. For example, those with sensitive stomachs, medical conditions such as pancreatitis, or requiring special food for nutritional support of a health problem should stick to their usual diet. If in doubt, don’t feel under pressure to feed anything different– your dog won’t know that they are missing out and you may help them avoid a poorly timed illness.
If you do decide to feed treats, a small quantity should be given alongside your dog’s usual food. A completely different Christmas Day diet consisting mostly of human food is a bad idea.
Here are some common foods your dog might be sniffing out this Christmas:
✅Turkey: dogs can eat turkey meat, but it should be boneless and skinless. It’s best to avoid any meat that’s soaked in gravy, butter or seasonings and go for plain meat instead.
✅Other vegetables: small amounts of green beans, sprouts, parsnips, peas and swede can all be given.
➡Potatoes: be careful. A small amount of cooked, peeled potato is fine, but the butter and cream added to mash or the fat that roast potatoes are cooked in could be a problem.
➡Cranberry sauce: be careful. Small amounts of cranberries are fine for dogs, but other ingredients in the sauce could be toxic such as sweeteners (xylitol) and nuts. It may also have a very high sugar content.
✅Dog treats: if you plan on giving treats other than your pet’s usual food, a safe option is to purchase some treats designed for dogs, produced by a reputable manufacturer.
❎Stuffing: avoid. Often contains onions, garlic and various spices. Plants in the allium family, such as onion and garlic can cause anaemia in dogs.
❎Gravy: best avoided. Gravy can be high in fat, sodium, and contain ingredients such as garlic
❎Bones: Avoid. Cooked bones from the turkey carcass, and other meats, can damage the gastrointestinal tract lining or get stuck.
❎Dairy products: best avoided. Often high in fat and containing lactose, these products can be hard for dogs to digest and lead to stomach upsets and illness.
❎Macadamia nuts: avoid. Can cause weakness, wobbliness, vomiting, tremors, high temperature and central nervous system problems.
❎Chocolate: avoid. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine that is highly toxic to dogs. The darker the chocolate, the higher the levels of theobromine.
Chocolate can cause a variety of problems including gastrointestinal upset, hyperactivity, tremors, seizures and heart problems. Even chocolate with minimal theobromine e.g. white chocolate can cause gastrointestinal problems due to its high
fat content.
❎Christmas pudding and mince pies: avoid. They contain several hazardous ingredients, the most worrying being dried grapes (raisins, sultanas, currants).
❎Grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs.
❎Pigs in blankets: best avoided. High in sodium and fat, it’s a good idea to substitute these for some lean meat instead.
If you are concerned about the health of your dog or worried that they may have eaten something toxic, you should contact your vets immediately as prompt treatment may be needed.
It pays to be prepared for stomach upsets over bank holidays.
