Every Thanksgiving, hungry dogs all over America hope for dropped scraps or surreptitious handouts from sympathetic cousins. Whether you're a host or a guest for Thanksgiving this year, you may want to know just what foods are OK to share with the family dog. From turkey to cranberries and all the rest, we'll let you know what traditional Thanksgiving fare is safe for dogs to eat.
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Turkey
Make way for the bird. The main event of the Thanksgiving meal, turkey is also the item on the menu you can feel most comfortable sharing with your dog. Offer your dog lean, cooked white meat instead of the fattier dark meat, and try not to go overboard. And remember, never give poultry bones to your pooch—they can easily splinter inside your pet's body.
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Cranberries
Cranberries are great for dogs. Not only are they full of vitamins A, B1, B2 and C, but they're well-known for helping maintain healthy urinary tracts. On Thanksgiving, if you're making cranberry sauce from scratch with fresh fruit, feel free to share. Canned cranberry sauce and jellied cranberry sauce, on the other hand, are full of sugar and should not be given to pets.
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Carrots
Fresh, raw carrots are an ideal snack for dogs. Dogs love their sweet, crisp taste, and carrots also boast lots of vitamins, fiber and potassium. The crunchy root vegetables are even good for your dog's dental health, helping to remove plaque from teeth and keep breath fresh. Drop a few carrots your dog's way before you add any butter or salt.
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Green Beans
Green beans make a healthy "anytime" snack for your dog. These nutritional powerhouses are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber. They're also low in calories, so even if your dog is on a diet, you won't have to feel guilty about slipping him some string beans on Thanksgiving. However, if you're planning to use the beans to make a green-bean casserole or some other rich dish full of salt and fat, be sure to share the beans before they become part of a dish.
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Sweet Potatoes
Despite being "sweet," these spuds are actually healthier than regular potatoes because they have a lower glycemic index, which basically means they'll wreak less havoc on your dog's blood sugar (and yours). They're also full of fiber, vitamins and carotenoids. If you want to share sweet potatoes with your dog, set some aside without any salt or butter on them.
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Bread Rolls
Think of bread like treats: safe as long as you share a little, not a lot. Bread is high in calories and has a high glycemic index, so too much can lead to weight gain very easily, especially if butter is involved too. Sharing a roll is fine, just don't toss roll after roll to your begging canine friend at the Thanksgiving table.
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Pumpkin
Pumpkin is good for dogs to eat not only because it's low in calories and bursting with vitamins, beta carotene and fiber, but also because it helps with a dog's digestion. If Fido is suffering from an upset tummy, diarrhea or constipation, a little bit of pumpkin may be just what the veterinarian ordered. If you're using canned pumpkin for your pie, though, it's better not to share it. The processed stuff isn't healthy for dogs like fresh pumpkin is.
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Corn
Corn doesn't necessarily have any nutritional benefit for dogs to enjoy, but it also won't harm them, so if you really want to, you can share your corn with your dog (in moderation) on Thanksgiving. Here's one important caveat: Don't give a dog corn on the cob. Dogs love to chew on corn cobs like bones, but it may be unsafe. Your dog could accidentally swallow the cob, which can lead to choking or a life-threatening intestinal obstruction.
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Pasta
Delicious, gooey mac and cheese is a staple of many Thanksgiving tables. Whether or not it's OK for your dog to eat depends on how you serve it up. Obviously, the final product is going to be loaded with salt and fat, and is too rich to share with your pet. However, a little bit of cooked, plain pasta is basically just bread, so you can feel OK sharing a tiny portion as a treat. If you're making your mac and cheese from scratch, a small bit of the fresh cheese is also safe to share with your dog (unless your pet is lactose intolerant).
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Brussel Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are rich in fiber and vitamins, and they also boast cancer-fighting properties that can benefit your dog as much as they benefit you. You can feed Brussels sprouts to your pet as a snack raw or cooked, but not with salt, butter or other dressing added. Also, be sure to offer them in moderation, because too many Brussels sprouts can lead to diarrhea.
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