11 Thanksgiving Foods Dogs Can Eat, Served Plain
Dog Nutrition & Diet
The safest plate a dog gets on Thanksgiving is the one set aside before the butter, the onions and the brown sugar arrive. Most of the holiday table starts out as ingredients dogs can genuinely enjoy, and the list of Thanksgiving foods dogs can eat is longer than many dog moms expect. What turns them risky is everything the recipe adds afterward.
Below are the 11 safe shares, sorted the way the meal is served, followed by the dishes to keep out of reach and what to do if something disappears from a plate.
Sharing Thanksgiving Dinner With Your Dog Safely
Dogs can safely eat plain cooked turkey breast with the skin and bones removed, plain canned pumpkin, cooked sweet potato, white potato and squash, green beans, carrots, peas, corn cut off the cob, cored apple slices and fresh cranberries. Every one of them has to be served without butter, salt, onion, garlic, sugar or spice. Stuffing, gravy, casseroles, pie, raw dough, bones and anything with grapes, raisins, chocolate or alcohol stay off the menu. Keep the share to a few bites rather than a plateful.
Plain is the word doing all the work. Set your dog's portion aside before anything gets seasoned, and the rest of the day becomes much simpler.
Holiday Mains and Starchy Sides Dogs Can Share
Plain Turkey Breast, Skin and Bones Off
Lean white turkey meat is a genuinely good protein when it is cooked through and served bare. The breast is leaner than the thigh or drumstick, and the skin holds most of the fat, salt and seasoning, so peel it away completely.
Carve your dog's pieces before the bird is brined, buttered or rubbed with herbs and garlic. A few dogs are sensitive to poultry, so if yours has a known food allergy, keep to their usual food.
Pure Pumpkin, Not Pie Filling
Plain canned pumpkin, with pumpkin as the only ingredient on the label, is gentle on a dog's digestion thanks to its fiber. Pie filling sits right beside it on the shelf and looks identical, but it comes with sugar and a spice blend. A spoonful stirred into dinner is plenty, and the rest of the can makes a lovely batch of homemade pumpkin chew sticks.
Sweet Potatoes Before the Marshmallows
Cooked sweet potato, baked, boiled or steamed, gives a dog fiber and vitamin A in a form most of them love. Raw sweet potato is hard to digest, so cook it through, and scoop your dog's share out before the butter, brown sugar and marshmallows go on top.
Plain Boiled Potatoes
White potatoes are fine for most dogs when they are fully cooked and completely plain. Mashed potatoes are usually whipped with butter, cream, salt and sometimes garlic, so set aside a few boiled chunks before the masher comes out.
Butternut and Acorn Squash
Roasted or steamed winter squash, peeled and seeded, is a soft, fiber-rich side and one of the nutrient-dense foods for dogs worth keeping in the fall rotation. Skip any pieces roasted in oil, butter or warm spices.
Thanksgiving Vegetables That Are Safe for Dogs
Green Beans Without the Casserole
Plain green beans, steamed, boiled or raw and chopped, make a low-calorie, crunchy treat. Green bean casserole is the problem, with cream of mushroom soup, salt and a crispy onion topping that make it a firm no.
Carrots, Raw or Steamed
Raw carrots give a dog something satisfying to crunch while the kitchen is busy, and steamed ones are gentler for smaller or older dogs. Leave out the glazed carrots from the table, since honey, butter and brown sugar are what make them a side dish.
Peas, Fresh or Frozen
Green peas, steamed or simply thawed, are a sweet little extra most dogs enjoy. Creamed peas and peas tossed with bacon belong on the human plate, and canned peas are often heavily salted.
Corn Kernels, Never the Cob
Plain corn kernels are safe in small amounts. The cob is the real danger, because it does not break down and can cause an intestinal blockage that needs surgery. Cut the kernels off for your dog and put the cobs straight into a lidded trash can.
Fall Fruit Dogs Can Enjoy After Dinner
Apple Slices, Cored
While everyone else reaches for pie, a few slices of apple with the core, stem and seeds removed make a crisp, naturally sweet dessert for your dog. Apple pie and caramel apples are not substitutes.
Fresh Cranberries, Not the Sauce
Fresh or frozen cranberries are safe in small amounts, though many dogs find them too tart to bother with. Cranberry sauce is mostly sugar, and dried cranberry mixes sometimes include raisins, which are toxic to dogs. For a dog who loves fruit, the fruits dogs can eat year-round are a better place to look.
Thanksgiving Dishes to Keep Off Your Dog's Plate
The trouble on a holiday table usually hides inside a finished dish, so it helps to think in recipes rather than single ingredients.
Stuffing, Gravy and Green Bean Casserole
Onions, garlic, leeks, shallots and chives damage a dog's red blood cells and can lead to anemia, whether raw, cooked or powdered. That rules out most stuffing, nearly every gravy and the casserole topping in one go, and dried flakes and powders count just as much as fresh onions.
Turkey Skin, Bones and the Carcass
Cooked bones splinter into sharp fragments that can cause choking or a blockage. The carcass is the bigger hazard, because it sits in the kitchen trash smelling irresistible all evening, so wrap it and take it straight outside.
Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie and Butter Tarts
Holiday desserts pile up sugar, butter and spices. Nutmeg is toxic in larger amounts, and pecans are high in fat and prone to mold. On Canadian tables, butter tarts deserve a special mention, since many recipes include raisins, and grapes and raisins can cause sudden kidney failure.
Chocolate desserts, from brownies to Nanaimo bars, belong here too, and the darker the chocolate, the greater the risk.
Rolls, Raw Dough and Sugar-Free Desserts
Raw yeast dough keeps expanding in a warm stomach and produces alcohol as it ferments, so stolen bread dough needs a vet rather than a wait-and-see approach. Sugar-free desserts and some peanut butters contain xylitol, which can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar. Wine, beer and coffee are off the list too.
How Much Turkey Is Too Much for a Dog
Treats and table food should make up no more than about 10 percent of a dog's daily calories. A few bite-size pieces of turkey and a spoonful of vegetables is a generous share for a small dog, and a larger dog can have a little more.
Fat is the bigger risk. Large helpings of table scraps and rich leftovers like turkey skin and drippings are believed to be a common trigger for pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas. Watch for vomiting, a sore belly, diarrhea, weakness and a dog who suddenly stops eating.
Dogs That Should Skip the Holiday Shares
Miniature Schnauzers, Yorkshire Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, Dachshunds and Poodles are among the breeds more prone to pancreatitis, and any dog who has had it before should not have fatty extras at all. Puppies, seniors and dogs with a sensitive stomach react more strongly to sudden changes, and a dog on a prescription diet should only have what the vet has approved.
Building a Dog-Friendly Thanksgiving Plate
Make your dog's plate first, while everything is still plain. A festive bowl might look like this:
- A few pieces of plain turkey breast, skinless and boneless
- A spoonful of pure pumpkin or mashed sweet potato
- A few green beans or carrot coins
- A slice of cored apple for dessert
Serve it alongside their usual food rather than in place of a meal. Share the house rules with guests before everyone sits down, too, because a dog under the table will always find the most generous person in the room.
The same habits carry straight into December, and the guide to Christmas foods for dogs covers the dishes that only appear at that table.
Signs Your Dog Ate Something From the Holiday Table
If your dog gets into something on the avoid list, call for advice straight away instead of waiting for symptoms, since a dog can seem completely normal at first. Note what they ate, roughly how much and when. Do not try to make your dog vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Vomiting, drooling, tremors, a swollen belly or sudden lethargy all mean it is time to call. The Pet Poison Helpline, on 855-764-7661, covers the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, and a consultation fee applies. In the United States, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center takes calls on 888-426-4435, where a fee may also apply.
Thanksgiving with a dog does not need to be complicated. Plain food, small portions, the trash taken out and the pie kept high. What your dog wants most is to be in the room with everyone they love, and that part is always on the menu.
Sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, people foods to avoid feeding your pets
- Merck Veterinary Manual, pancreatitis and other disorders of the pancreas in dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual, onion and garlic toxicosis in animals
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