Veterinarian tips for pets and food on Thanksgiving

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — This time of year, veterinarians and animal hospitals are seeing a high number of pets who have eaten things…they probably shouldn’t.

“It’s common every day of the year, 365 days of the year, but it seems to be more common, more frequent more severe after the major holiday’s so Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter “said Hayley Bush, veterinarian at Capeside Animal Hospital.

Bush says that a lot of the traditional Thanksgiving items should be off the menu for your dog or cat

“So, you need to be really careful with some food types that can cause toxicity. So, you really want to avoid onions, garlic, raisins, grapes, anything that contains Xylitol. Xylitol is an artificial sweetener; it can be really harmful for pets.” said Bush

She continued “Then there are foods that will cause GI upset, so the vomiting, the diarrhea, anything that’s richer than what they’re use to getting.”

But there are certain foods that your pets can enjoy so they don’t feel left out on all the Thanksgiving fun.

“Safe things are really bland, so baked sweet potatoes, that’s great. Stew carrots, stew green beans, you want to avoid any sort of casserole, like a green bean casserole because it’s going to be really fatty” explained Bush.

Bush says following these tips… will help ensure you won’t add an unexpected vet visit to your holiday plans.