As the holidays kick into gear, stress can mount causing strange behaviors to set in. Both humans and dogs can quickly become overwhelmed as energy levels rise and new sights, sounds and people start to appear. On Thanksgiving Day, youre probably not the only one craving a heaping plateful of delicious, home-cooked turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce. But not all foods (or environments) are good for our dogs. Its best to know where to draw the line in order to keep your pup happy and healthy. A Thanksgiving Feast for Juno All too often, were tempted to share our Thanksgiving feast with our dogs. After all, its the holidays, you know? Problem is many foods that are OK for us to eat may be harmful to our pups. Chocolate is one of the top offenders. One bite may not bring about any type of negative reaction, but too much can send cats and dogs on a fatal journey. Best to avoid it all together. While cranberries by themselves are not dangerous, all the sugar that is typically mixed into cranberry sauce isnt healthy. This is especially true if you have a diabetic pooch. Turkey and other poultry is a good source of lean protein, but the oil and spices usually found on the basted bird may bring about some upset tummies. Thats not good anytime, much less with a houseful of guests! In addition, turkey bones are not at all like beef bones. Poultry bones can splinter easily, getting stuck in your dogs mouth, throat or stomach. Removal often requires the help of a vet and/or surgery. Safety With all the company over for the day, Juno might just get a bit clingy. If thats the case, youll want to keep an eye out for two particularly dangerous situations. First is in the kitchen. Always the busiest room in the house, the kitchen will be on overdrive Thanksgiving Day. Make sure your pup is not under foot. They run the risk of being stepped on, bumped into a hot oven door, or having hot food or heavy pots or pans dropped on them. And nobody - human or doggie - wants to have steaming giblet gravy accidentally poured on them. Secondly, if you have grandma and grandpa, or your cousins unruly two-year-old over for the meal, youll want to take care that Juno doesnt trip others, get stepped on, get anything that may be dropped or accidently get out an opened door. It could mean a visit to the doctor for them all or an unexpected game of search for you and your guest tracking down Juno. A Quiet Retreat Make sure Juno has a quiet place all to himself. A soft bed in a dark corner, an empty bedroom upstairs with the door cracked or on his crate away from the commotion . If your pup gets stressed and has nowhere to go, they can become irritable and nip or scratch others. Keeping these quick tips in mind will help ensure a Happy Thanksgiving for you, your family and guests. More importantly, Juno will enjoy the day just as much as you do!
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 18:30:33 +0000
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