Celebrate Thanksgiving with your furry friends
For many people, the Thanksgiving holiday is a time to get together with friends and family to enjoy a delicious meal together. If you want to make sure your dog doesn’t feel left out, we have some special treat ideas just for them!
Before we share these special treats, here are a few general safety tips to keep in mind.
General safety tips
- Do not introduce new foods to your furry friend this weekend. Human food should only be introduced after a conversation with your veterinarian.
- If you have company coming over, it’s important to tell them not to feed your furry friend from the table.
- Consider leaving your companion animal in a different room during mealtime with some of their own treats and favourite toys.
- Foods to watch out for include chocolate, raisins, grapes, yeast (raw dough), turkey drippings, any kind of bones, and foods cooked with garlic and onion, as these can all be toxic to our furry friends. Learn more about foods that are harmful to dogs and foods that are harmful to cats.
More about why Thanksgiving food may not be safe for your furry friend can be found here!
Thanksgiving treat ideas for your furry friend
Here are some holiday treat ideas you can make for your furry friend to enjoy in their own space during Thanksgiving celebrations:
DIY fall pumpkin dog treat
Using simple ingredients such as flour, pumpkin puree, and peanut butter*, you can roll the dough and create fun, festive shapes using cookie cutters. Bake cookies for 30 minutes, allow them to cool and let your furry friend enjoy!
DIY Apple peanut butter* balls
Peanut butter and an apple – super simple! Just spread peanut butter on a cut up apple and freeze it. Make sure you take it out 30 minutes before serving it to your furry friend!
*Watch for peanut butter with artificial sweeteners such as xylitol or birch sugar, as it can be toxic to dogs.
We hope you enjoy making these treats as much as your dog enjoys eating them!
Have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving!
If this information was helpful, please help us continue to educate about pet health and well-being by making a donation. As a registered charity that does not receive annual government funding, the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society depends on the generosity of donors to change the lives of animals in need.
