Hazardous Holiday Foods To Avoid Feeding Pets

The holiday season is just around the corner and TLC wants to make your pet enjoys the festive fun safely!

We are entering the holiday season which means time spent celebrating with our friends, family, and pets! Holiday feasts are fun for everyone but it is important to be aware of the festive foods that can be hazardous for our four legged friends!

Although it is never recommended to feed any scraps to your pet, t some foods are especially dangerous to their health, while otherscan be nutritious in moderation.

We help identify common holiday foods and table scraps to avoid and those you can feel confident allowing your pet to enjoy.

Holiday Foods to Avoid

Fat Trimmings and Bones

There is no doubt your pet would love to have a piece of fat trimmings from your holiday meal. This may seem like a safe part of the meat to feed however, fat trimmings can be unhealthy and dangerous. Too much fat can lead to problems like pancreatitis. Dog bones are hazardous as they can splinter in your pet’s digestive tract, causing an obstruction or injury. Always make sure you dispose of leftover bones and fat trimmings somewhere your dog will not find them!

Garlic and Onions

Although onion and garlic can be a great addition to your holiday meals, don’t feed your pet food that has been cooked with either of these ingredients as they are toxic to pets! Onion and garlic contain a chemical that when ingested in large enough quantities can damage red blood cells.

Chocolate and Candy

This might seem like an obvious reminder but between Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, the holiday season is filled with sweet treats! It is important to keep track of your holiday treats and make sure they are safely stored out of reach from your pet. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, a type of stimulant that is fatal to dogs and can permanently damage their central nervous system.

Holiday Foods to Enjoy

Carrots

Carrots are one of the premium quality ingredients found in TLC Pet Food and are perfectly healthy to feed to your pet in moderation. Not only do dogs love the taste and crunch of this vegetable but they provide a high source of beta-carotene for vision health. Carrots also offer cardiovascular and antioxidant health benefits.

Sweet Potato

Add some festive fun to your pet’s meal with sweet potato! Sweet potato is one of nature’s unsurpassed sources of beta-carotene, with the ability to increase levels of vitamin A, essential for vision health and other benefits. Sweet potato is a low glycemic index ingredient meaning it helps control your pet’s blood sugars. This aids in preventing obesity and diabetes, one of the reasons sweet potato is included in our pet food!

Cranberries

Not all festive foods are bad for pets! Cranberries are often found on the table this time of year and contain many important nutrients that our pets can benefit from. TLC Pet Food includes cranberries in our formulas because they include proanthocyanidin acid that blocks bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections. Cranberries also offer immune system and cardiovascular health benefits.