GRAND RAPIDS — The holidays are typically a time of celebration and coming together for family and friends. This often times includes our pets, but there are things to watch out for in order to help keep them safe.
A local veterinarian talked to us about the dos and don'ts of foods you can share with your furry critters as wqe move foward into the holiday season.
Dr. Ryan Carpenter is with Family Friends A. nimal Hospital in the Grand Rapids area and says things like turkey legs are not a good idea for dogs
"Certainly we see dogs that will eat them and digest them and do fine but we do see a handful of dogs that do that," he said. "What are they eating home they get stuck in their throat or I've seen that happen. Or they kind of knock them up and chew them up and then they cause some pretty significant gastroenteritis, it is very possible that that scenario can happen and you don't want it to be yours."
Things like brocolli, calaflower and carrotts are much safer alternatives for dogs and they're healthy, too!
One thing you may want to skip is breaking bread with your pet. Dr. Carpenter says that may not be the best thing for them.
"A lot of people make bread and bread dough actually is toxic to our pets can cause some GI upset, but it can also with the fermentation can lead to some significant neurologic dysfunction so definitely something we want to avoid," he said.
It's also important to watch out for food allergies but a small amount of turkey or cheese is okay to let them have.
"Our pets don't know when to stop. So they'll keep going and again it can cause some pretty significant gastrointestinal distress whether it just be discomfort from overheating or more severe leading to that pancreatitis and, you know, sometimes these our pets get really sick and need to be hospitalized on IV fluids and you don't want to see your pet sick and nor do we," Dr. Carpenter said.
If you are concerned your pet digested something harmful call the pet poison hotline at (855) 764-7661 or click here to visit their website.
