Top 8 Holiday Foods to Not Feed Your Dog

You wanna piece of me?!?!?

During the holiday season, it's important to keep in mind that many of the delicious foods we enjoy can be harmful to our furry friends. Here's a list of the top 8 holiday foods to avoid feeding your dog:

CHOCOLATE

- Why it’s bad: Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which are toxic to dogs. Dark chocolate is especially dangerous.

- Symptoms of poisoning: Vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, seizures, and in severe cases, death.

ONIONS AND GARLIC

- Why it’s bad: Both onions and garlic contain compounds that can damage a dog’s red blood cells, leading to anemia.

- Symptoms of poisoning: Weakness, lethargy, vomiting, and diarrhea.

GRAPES AND RAISINS

- Why it’s bad: Grapes and raisins can cause acute kidney failure in dogs, even in small amounts.

- Symptoms of poisoning: Vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and loss of appetite.

XYLITOL (Artificial Sweetener)

- Why it’s bad: Xylitol, found in sugar-free gum, candy, baked goods, and some peanut butters, can cause a rapid drop in blood sugar, leading to seizures, liver failure, or even death.

- Symptoms of poisoning: Tremors, lethargy, vomiting, loss of coordination, seizures.

ALCOHOL

- Why it’s bad: Alcohol is extremely toxic to dogs and can cause serious harm to their central nervous system.

- Symptoms of poisoning: Vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, tremors, or even coma and death.

COOKED BONES

- Why it’s bad: While dogs love chewing on bones, cooked bones can splinter and cause blockages or tears in the digestive system.

- Symptoms of injury: Vomiting, lack of appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain.

RAW DOUGH (including yeast dough)

- Why it’s bad: Raw dough, especially with yeast, can rise in a dog’s stomach, causing bloating and potential rupturing. The yeast also ferments in their stomach, producing alcohol.

- Symptoms of poisoning: Vomiting, bloating, lethargy, and in severe cases, seizures.

FATTY FOODS (like gravy or rich meats)

- Why it’s bad: High-fat foods, such as fatty meats, gravy, or skin, can cause pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) in dogs.

- Symptoms of pancreatitis: Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, lethargy.

Keep your dog safe this holiday season by avoiding these foods ingredients. Remember many of our favorite dishes contain ingredients that are toxic. For example, the green bean casserole we all love is made with mushroom soup which has onion in it and those crunchy things are onions. For the star of the show, the turkey, plain unseasoned meat is great for your furry friend as long as there is no gravy or a single bone in sight. Trust me on this one. My dog got ahold of a chicken bone. It splintered on the way down which caused him agonizing pain and a lot of blood coming out of his behind for days.

We hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season! Use our Contact page if you have any questions or concerns. We are here for you!