Holiday Dinner Foods your Pet Will Love Too!
Happy Howl-idays!
Holiday Dinner Foods your Pet is sure to Love!
The entire family, along with our four-legged companions, has come together to celebrate the Christmas holidays. We’re filled with laughter, jokes, and quality time, and, of course, indulging in an abundance of delicious holiday dinner foods! But how can we ensure our pets are safe and aware of what they can enjoy? Let’s explore how to create a holiday dinner that your pets will adore as well!
It’s Paw-ty Time!
If your family is like mine, Christmastime means not just a gathering of the 2-legged, but it’s also an awesome paw-ty time for our 4-legged family members as well. Everyone from the oldest to the youngest gather for holiday food and fun, and of course our pets. They are right there in the middle of all the action right with us!
So, we want to make sure that our pets are not getting too much “action time” in the kitchen! We all know what happens when too many cooks start giving out too many little starters to our more than willing pets. With so many cooks in the kitchen and our pets perfecting their “ I’m starving!!” look they can end up with too many little treats and one big stomachache!
This year plan for your pets to join in with their own holiday dinner food paw-ty plates. Go ahead and check ahead of time to make sure everyone is ok with their pet having a paw-ty plate and then create a drool worthy feast your fur friends won’t soon forget!
So let’s get going on our paw-some list of holiday foods your pets can enjoy this Holiday Season.
Safe Holiday Dinner Foods for Pets
We have a list of safe foods for your pet which you will usually find around the table during special occasions. Some you may need to put aside before cooking and save for later.
Vegetables:
Pumpkins – Canned pumpkin, and not to be mixed up with pumpkin pie filling, is a good source of fibre and excellent for the stomach.
Green Beans – Low calorie, full of fibre, iron, calcium, and vitamin B6. Save some of your raw beans for your pet.
Broccoli – A small amount only as too much can cause painful gas. Serve raw or cooked. Remember to keep all spices and butter away from the cooked broccoli for pets.
Cauliflower – Also a small amount only as cauliflower will also create painful gas when your pet eats too much. A good source of antioxidants. This is good served both cooked and raw.
Carrots – High in fibre and beta-carotene. You can serve cooked plain, or when served raw, make a good crunch snack which is healthy for teeth.
Apples – Serve apple only, no seeds or core. Apples are a delicious snack which keeps teeth clean and freshens breath!
Spinach – Serve steamed, 1 or 2 tablespoons only with no butter or spices.
Sweet potato – High in fibre and beta-carotenes, which are good antioxidants.
Turkey Meat – Plain white meat and no skin is best. Avoid fatty pieces like dark meat and skin, which may have spices such as onion and garlic, which are harmful to pets.
Frozen yogurt – Loaded with beneficial gut bacteria and tastes so good!
Because our pets are not like us, they can’t eat everything. When planning and dishing up your paw-ty plate, make sure these food items stay with the humans only! No paws allowed!
No go Ho Ho Ho Holiday Dinner Foods
Stuffing – Bread should be limited, and stuffing generally contains many unsafe ingredients, such as onions, garlic, raisins, and excess fat.
Mashed potato – While plain potatoes are ok, mashed potatoes can also be made with spices and butter, which can be harmful to your pet.
Chocolate – We all know about giving chocolate to pets; it is very harmful and has even been known to cause death!
Raisins and grapes – Both of these are highly toxic. While scientists do not know the exact nature of why they are toxic, we do know that many pets who have ingested either grapes or raisins, even just one, have caused severe vomiting and diarrhea.
Onions, scallions, and garlic – All three of these seasonings are ok in very small amounts. Try to limit when and how much your pet receives.
Bread – A small taste of white or brown bread for pets is generally ok, but holiday bread can contain nuts or even fruits that pets should not have. It is best to stay away from bread altogether during the holidays.
Fatty foods – Your pet does not eat a rich diet every day, so fatty foods can give your pet a bad stomach, not something they or you want on Christmas Day!
Any food with spices – Many spices, such as onion, garlic, nutmeg, and cocoa powder are toxic. Stay away from all just to be safe.
Baked goods – Like fatty foods and spices, your pet is not used to eating much sugar, and a sudden intake can cause illness.
Trash – We include trash here because, on days when there is lots of cooking going on, even the best-behaved pet can be tempted by all the lovely smells coming from the trash during the holidays. Keep an eye on your trash to keep pets away from it!
The paw-fect paw-ty Holiday Dinner!
Pets love socializing and spending time with their family! This is why you can turn Christmas mealtime into a fun event for them too! Turn your pet’s regular mealtime into a paw-ty, and watch your furry friend have a howling good meal!
Now you know which holiday dinner foods are a ho-ho-go and which are a definite no, think about the paw-fect Holiday meal for your pet. We have an easy to plan and dish up 3 course meal your pet can enjoy with his or her whole family this holiday!
So, we took the traditional turkey dinner which is cooked in many homes over the holidays and created a most paw-some paw-ty three course meal for your pet!
Appetizer
Steamed spinach with raw green beans.
Main Course
Warm turkey breast mashed plain sweet potato, with one piece each of steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Raw carrot sticks on the side.
Dessert
Pumpkin puree mixed with plain frozen yogurt with apple slices on the side.
From all of us at Mother Nature we wish you and your pets a very Paw-somely Happy Holidays!
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Stop by Mother Nature in Powell River today, to shop toys and treats for your beloved pets this Christmas!