Nobody in your house takes Thanksgiving more seriously than your dog. He was in the kitchen when the turkey came out of the fridge at 6 a.m., and he has spent every hour since mentally mapping out your home like Danny Ocean casing the Bellagio. By dinner he knows who drops things (the four-year-old), who can be worked (Grandpa), and who will let a strip of skin slide off the edge of the plate while looking you dead in the eye (your brother-in-law, every year). The meal goes beautifully. The pie is a triumph. Then by Saturday morning all of the GI upset in the house has you wondering how much of your holiday budget is going to be spent on veterinary bills.
That's the shape of a lot of Thanksgiving emergencies. Plenty of the Thanksgiving foods dangerous for dogs cause no drama the day of. The fatty scraps, the bones, and the toxic stuff tucked into the side dishes can take a day or more to make their point, often while the leftovers are still in the fridge. Cats raid the table less – but what they do find (the string off the turkey, the onions in the gravy, the lilies in the centerpiece, or the sheer stress of a house full of strangers) can be even more serious.
If your dog or cat got into something over the holiday, call us at (970) 851-8751 or send our intake form with what they ate and when. We'll see you at our Fort Collins clinic during open hours.
Can Dogs Eat Turkey?
Yes, most dogs can eat a little plain turkey: white meat, fully cooked, with no skin and no bones. The catch is that Thanksgiving turkey is rarely plain. It's been rubbed with butter, stuffed with onions, and basted every 30 minutes by someone who has their name etched into the side of a carving knife. The parts your dog wants most (the skin, the drippings, the bones) are the same parts that cause the most problems.
If you want your dog in on the holiday, make him a plate on purpose before dinner starts. A few bites of plain white meat and some plain green beans or sweet potato (no butter, no marshmallows) mixed into his regular food is plenty. One small plate he gets on purpose is a lot easier on his stomach than the six he gets by accident under the table.
Cats can usually have a bite of plain white meat too, assuming they find it worthy.
Which Thanksgiving Foods Are Dangerous for Dogs and Cats?
The Thanksgiving foods most likely to land a dog or cat at the emergency vet are fatty scraps, cooked bones, raw bread dough, turkey brine, the usual kitchen toxins hiding in the side dishes, and the string and packaging the turkey came in. By 9 p.m., almost all of it is in the kitchen trash, at nose height.
- Turkey skin, gravy, pan drippings, and buttery sides
- Cooked turkey bones and the carcass
- Raw yeast dough for rolls
- Turkey brine
- Onions, garlic, leeks, and chives
- Grapes, raisins, and currants
- Sugar-free pies and desserts that may contain xylitol (a problem mainly for dogs)
- Chocolate desserts, especially dark or baking chocolate
- Trussing string, oven bags, foil, and the absorbent pad from under the turkey
We went through the kitchen toxins in our guide to the most common pet toxins. At Thanksgiving they mostly hide in the side dishes: the crispy onions on top of the green bean casserole, the raisins somebody's aunt insists belong in stuffing, and the sugar-free pumpkin pie made for the guest who's cutting back.
Turkey Skin, Gravy, and Pancreatitis in Dogs
Fatty holiday food can cause pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas that ranges from a few rough days to a serious, life-threatening illness. The pancreas makes the enzymes that digest fat, and a dog who just ate a pound of turkey skin has asked it to pick up a double shift on a holiday. In pancreatitis, those enzymes can switch on too early, inflame the pancreas itself, and even digest the fat sitting in the belly (it's called saponification, which is a super fun word for a very painful phenomenon).
The signs can take a day or two to show up: repeated vomiting, an uncomfortable belly, diarrhea, not eating, and a dog who just isn't himself. Some dogs stand in the "praying position," front end down and back end up. It looks like a stretch designed to alleviate pain. Overweight dogs and dogs who've had pancreatitis before are more likely to run into trouble, so they're the ones who should get a list of excuses as to why they're not invited to dinner.
My Dog Ate a Turkey Bone. What Now?
If your dog ate a turkey bone, take away whatever's left, don't try to make him vomit, and call us. Cooked bones are brittle. They can splinter into sharp pieces that get stuck in the throat, stomach, or intestines, and occasionally poke through the wall of the gut. Come in right away if he's gagging, retching, drooling, or pawing at his mouth.
Somebody at your table will mention that their dog eats turkey bones every year and is fine. Plenty of dogs do pass small pieces without trouble – and bones can often dissolve in stomach acid. But if the bone gets caught up somewhere before it reaches the stomach, or there are too many bones to dissolve, it can be serious. So a swallowed bone gets a phone call, even when the dog seems fine: our foreign body post covers why.
Why Is Raw Bread Dough Dangerous for Pets?
Raw yeast dough is dangerous for dogs and cats because it keeps rising after it's swallowed. The yeast also makes alcohol as it goes. A stomach is, unfortunately, an ideal proofing drawer: warm, dark, and humid. The dough does exactly what the recipe told it to do. It expands. Your dog ends up bloated and tipsy (or outright drunk).
A dog who ate raw dough and is retching without bringing anything up, has a swollen belly, or is stumbling around needs to be seen right away. While the rolls are rising, put them somewhere your dog can't reach, like a cold oven or the microwave.
Turkey Brine and Salt Poisoning
Turkey brine is mostly salt water, and a dog or cat who laps up enough of it can get salt poisoning. In Fort Collins in late November, the back porch and the garage double as extra refrigerators, which is how a five-gallon bucket of brine ends up sitting at exactly dog height overnight. To your dog, it's the world's largest bowl of turkey soup.
Too much salt can cause vomiting within a few hours, and bigger doses can lead to tremors and seizures. Call us rather than trying to fix it at home. Once the turkey's out, pour the brine down the drain instead of leaving it outside overnight.
The String, the Oven Bag, and the Little Absorbent Pad
Trussing string, oven bags, foil, and the absorbent pad all soak up the same juices your dog has been smelling since 6 a.m., and any of them can cause a blockage if swallowed. To a dog, string that roasted in turkey fat for four hours is basically jerky. String is especially risky for cats, so if the trussing string is missing and you have a cat, call us.
What About Cats on Thanksgiving?
Cats are less likely than dogs to raid the Thanksgiving table, but the hazards they do find can be serious. Onions and garlic are harder on cats than on dogs. Lilies can cause kidney failure after a very small exposure, so if a guest brings lilies, thank them and find the flowers a room the cat can't get into.
Cats can get pancreatitis too, though it's less common than in dogs, and the causes are different. Either way, a cat that is hiding, not eating, or skipping their usual grooming should probably be checked out.
Can Holiday Stress Make Pets Sick?
Holiday stress can set off urinary trouble in cats and a dangerous crisis in dogs with Addison's disease, even in pets who never touched the food.
Why Is My Cat Straining to Pee After the Holidays?
A cat who's straining to pee after the holidays may be having a flare of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), which stress can set off days or even weeks after the last guest leaves.
In male cats, the bladder inflammation behind many of these flares (the same stress-related cystitis that can follow Halloween) can plug the narrow urethra completely, and a blockage becomes life-threatening fast. Watch the litter box for:
- Straining or squatting with little or nothing coming out
- Lots of short trips, crying in the box, or peeing outside it
- Blood in the urine
- Vomiting, hiding, or not eating
A blocked male cat often looks constipated. If he's squatting with nothing to show for it, come in right away. Relieving a urinary blockage is one of the things we do here.
Can Stress Cause an Addisonian Crisis in Dogs?
Stress can tip a dog with Addison's disease into an Addisonian crisis (vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, shaking, or collapse), because these dogs don't make enough cortisol, the body's stress hormone. Most of us get through a long holiday weekend on cortisol and pie, but a dog with Addison's is running short on the cortisol.
If your dog has Addison's, ask your regular vet before the holiday whether he needs extra medication for the busy days, and don't change the dose on your own. A crisis can also be the first sign of Addison's in a dog nobody knew had it, and it can look a lot like a dog who got into the stuffing. A dog who is weak, shaking, or collapsing needs to be seen right away.
Should I Call the Vet if My Pet Ate Thanksgiving Food?
Call now, before any signs, if your dog or cat ate bones, raw dough, brine, string or packaging, a lot of fatty food, or any of the toxic side dishes. A bite of plain turkey or a lick of mashed potatoes in a pet who's acting normal can usually be watched at home.
When you call, we'll want to know what they ate, roughly how much, when, and what your pet weighs. It helps that turkeys come standardized, with two drumsticks, two wings, and one wishbone. If the carcass in the trash is short a drumstick, that's useful information. So is the recipe card for the stuffing.
If we're closed and your pet ate one of the toxic foods, your first call is ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435. A consultation fee applies, and they'll tell you whether your pet needs a 24-hour hospital tonight. A pet who is struggling to breathe, collapsing, or retching without bringing anything up needs an emergency vet right away, whichever one is open and closest.
Why Do Thanksgiving Emergencies Show Up Days Later?
Many Thanksgiving food problems take a day or more to show up, because pancreatitis, a stuck bone, onion anemia, and grape-related kidney injury rarely show their hand during dinner.
Thanksgiving is over for your family by about 9 p.m. Your dog's insides are still working on it on Cyber Monday. Over the long weekend, call us for any of these:
- Vomiting more than once, or retching that brings up nothing
- A painful or swollen belly, or the praying position
- Not eating
- Diarrhea, or straining to pee or poop with little coming out
- Lethargy, weakness, or wobbliness
- Pale gums, fast breathing, or red-brown urine
- Drinking and peeing a lot more, or a lot less, than usual
For vomiting or diarrhea, our vomiting guide covers when to watch at home and when to come in.
What Happens When You Bring Your Pet In After Thanksgiving?
When you bring your pet in after a Thanksgiving mishap, we make sure they're stable, ask what they ate, examine them, and walk you through the tests we'd recommend and why. That opening stretch looks the same at any emergency hospital. Bones and packaging usually mean x-ray images; pancreatitis and toxins usually mean bloodwork.
Nobody can tell from the phone call whether a dog who emptied the gravy boat needs an anti-nausea injection and a few days of bland food, or several days of IV fluids in the hospital. Plenty of these pets go home the same visit with medication and a plan. Over the holiday weekend, a pet who needs overnight IV fluids can stay with us and join in as we decorate the hospital.
A bone lodged in the esophagus may need to come out with a scope, and a blockage further down may need surgery. We don't have a surgery suite, so we will diagnose the issue first, chat with you about the options, and make whatever calls we need to get your pet to a team that's expecting them. Whatever the plan, you'll see what each option costs before you choose one.
How to Keep Thanksgiving Food Away From Dogs and Cats
The easiest way to keep Thanksgiving food away from your pets is to plan where the food goes before the guests arrive. The dog has already made his plan.
Make his plate first. Then tell your guests before dinner that the dog has already eaten, which is true, and that he will tell them otherwise, which is also true. During the meal, a dog in a closed room with a stuffed puzzle toy can't work the table, and Grandpa loses his accomplice.
When dinner's done, take the carcass straight to an outside trash can with a lid. Not the kitchen trash, not the top of the dryer, and not the grocery bag by the back door that you will definitely remember to take out in the morning.
The Leftovers Are the Long Part
Most Thanksgiving foods dangerous for dogs and cats fall into a few predictable groups: fatty scraps, cooked bones, raw dough, brine, packaging, and the toxic side dishes. If your pet got into any of them, call before signs start, and keep an eye on appetite, vomiting, and energy through the weekend. Watch the litter box for a few weeks, too. Most of these problems are easier to treat when we see them early.
Whether it happened over the pie or over the leftovers, call us at (970) 851-8751, fill out our intake form, and bring your pet to our Fort Collins clinic during open hours.
And if your dog turns down breakfast on Saturday, take him at his word.
