5 Holiday Human Foods That Are Safe for Dogs to Enjoy
If you're lucky enough to have family visiting for the holidays, you are probably familiar with how much they love your dog and want to spoil him around this festive time of year. Which usually means giving your pup just a bite of something, because hey, it's Christmastime!
This can lead to all sorts of issues, from your dog puking on your tree skirt to having an accident on your kitchen floor right when you're taking the turkey out of the oven to even worse, driving to the emergency veterinarian at 11 p.m. because Uncle Bob thought your pup deserved a chocolate snowman. Luckily, there are some human foods that are safe for your dog to eat around the holidays, but please note: candy canes aren't on this list.
The above video, shared by the TikTok account for @buddysmartz, features adorable Vancouver Golden Retriever Buddy indulging in some dog safe holiday treats.
Related: Corgis Begging for Food Inspired an Awesome Dog-Friendly Charcuterie Board
5 Holiday Human Foods Safe for Dogs to Enjoy
5: Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are high in fiber and a good source of beta-carotene. You should always feed your pooch cooked sweet potatoes, because raw chunks of sweet potato can be a choking hazard. Make sure there are no additional seasonings added, like butter, salt or umm... marshmallows, and be mindful that the amount you feed your dog matters as well. An extra-large pup that weighs over 90 pounds should only be given 3-4 tablespoons of sweet potato, where a tiny Pomeranian should only indulge in one teaspoon.
4: Cranberries
The American Kennel Club says that dogs can eat cranberries in moderation, either fresh or dried. It should be noted that cranberry sauce is high in sugar, which can cause gastrointestinal upset, and some recipes include grapes, raisins, or currants, which are toxic to dogs. Some people believe that cranberries can help with canine UTIs, but there haven't been enough studies to confirm this.
3: Green Beans
And no, we aren't talking delicious green bean casserole here, just plain cooked green beans. Green beans are safe for dogs to eat, once again in moderation, and green beans are a healthy source of protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins B6, A, C, and K. Plus, most dogs seem to love them.
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2: Pumpkin
Pumpkin is safe for your dog to enjoy, but this doesn't mean you should share forkfuls of your grandma's pie with him. Pumpkin is a fiber-rich food that also contains important vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins E, A, and C, and iron and potassium. Plain canned pumpkin is great for helping a dog with gastrointestinal issues. But once again, amounts matter and you should give your dog only one teaspoon of plain, cooked pumpkin per ten pounds of body weight. Any more than that and you may end up with a pup with a very bad case of diarrhea due to all the fiber content in pumpkin. There's nothing less festive than that!
1: Turkey Bone Broth
Put your leftover turkey carcass to good use and boil the bones to make your dog a treat that's full of collagen and glucosamine for joint support. Don't add any onions or garlic, because both of these vegetables can be bad for your pup.
Related: Dog Helps List the Top 5 Foods For Keeping a Pup's Teeth Clean
Your dog will be very excited during the holidays, due to the stimulation from decorations, lights and all the people they love most stopping in for visits. Ideally, you want to keep your pup's schedule as close to normal as possible, which means sticking to their usual dry food diet with the occasional dog treat. But as we all know, people love giving dogs a bite of this or that on holidays so to be on the safe side, try to limit these human food treats to the safe for dogs items above. No one wants to clean a soiled rug or take a dog to the vet during the festivities!
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