It's that time of year again to be holly and jolly. But you have to be careful what you give your pet from the Christmas dinner table as it's not all healthy and some of it may be toxic.
Fortunately, an expert recently talked with Country Living about what to do for your pets during Christmas. He said don't feel pressured to give your animal a treat and risk its health.
"Don't feel obliged to give your dog a special treat around Christmas — it's not something they will be expecting, and it might cause a digestive upset if they are not good at coping with different foods," Joe Inglis, Head of Veterinary Science and Nutrition at Biome9, told the outlet.
Be careful of introducing new food to your dog's diet unless you want a mess. He explained,"Dogs who eat the same foods every day can react badly if you give them a treat. Some people give their dogs a turkey dinner on Christmas, but they've never had it before. Some dogs are not very good at digesting foods like this."
Christmas Food To Avoid
Of course, there's food to avoid like anything with chocolate, raisins, garlic, or onions. Dried fruit and mushrooms are also a no go.
"Try to avoid all of those things," says Joe. "It's all down to knowing your dog. I know my dog would be fine, but it could cause a diarrhea episode that you don't want to be clearing up on Boxing Day."
Of course, you can slip your animal some turkey if you want.
"It does depend on the dog. If you're cooking a turkey for Christmas, then some turkey meat for dogs is a great protein source for them. Try to avoid the fatty bits that you don't want to eat. Roast potatoes are also a healthy thing for dogs to eat," he said.
Or it may be better to create a Christmas dinner specifically for your dog.
He said, "You can create a Christmas dinner for your dog with similar foods that you might eat yourself. Mash up the Christmas veg and turkey and add it to their dinner. Avoid things like sausages and gravy which tend to be very salty. Some dogs will enjoy cleaning up a plate after Christmas dinner, which won't harm them, but generally, leftovers can be fatty and greasy and are not a good idea."
