“The year has turned its circle; the seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in, and chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures; the fields, their yellow grain,
So let your hearts overflow with gratitude… Thanksgiving is here again!”
The Thanksgiving holiday is a time to celebrate the blessings of the season with friends and family, and with the huge assortment of home-cooked food, it is tempting to share a few tasty treats with your canine companions, but use caution when offering your dog bits of your bountiful feast. Veterinary experts warn that many of the traditional holiday recipes for people are dangerous to your dog’s health, but if you feel you must share, do it safely with a few choices that are healthy for dogs:
- Small tidbits of white turkey meat without the skin
- Plain baked or sweet potatoes without the skin
- Steamed carrots or green beans without any better, sauce or seasoning
- Plain canned pumpkin, but NOT pumpkin pie filling…just plain pumpkin
- Sliced raw apples or raw baby carrots
Thanksgiving leftovers can also be dangerous to your dog, and should be stored or discarded out of paw’s reach. Turkey bones and skin, the string used to tie the turkey, and the carcass itself can be lethal if eaten.
If you want to bake a healthy Thanksgiving treat for her, try this recipe by Liz Palika for some sweet potato cookies:
Sweet Potato Cookies:
- Combine 2 cups diced sweet potatoes, cooked until mushy
- 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 large eggs
- 2.5 ounce jar of turkey baby food.
- Mix ingredients into a bowl.
- Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet
- Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. (20-25 minutes)
- Cool and store in the refrigerator.
Happy Thanksgiving from a thankful dog! Enjoy a tail waggin’ true tale as told to his favorite human, Barbara Shaner:
Hi! My name is Teddy and it is Thanksgiving time in our house. The humans are happy and so am I. I am a rescued dog, rescued from the Pound Place where I was with other confused, frightened dogs. I was not a puppy like some of them—I was all grown up so it seemed like no potential family even looked at me.
One day a lady came and talked to me. I tried my best, but she left and went to talk to some puppies. Oh, well, I thought, as I sadly went to the back of my cage and sat down. Then the lady came back with a man and their two human pups. They took me out to the big yard where I ran and jumped and played with the human pups. When the lady said, “I think this is our dog,” everyone smiled… especially me.
I was so nervous at first that I marked the dining room table, and I growled at the resident cat.
I was afraid they would take me back to the pound, but they just said, “This is our dog, and we will work things out.” And I am so thankful that we did work things out and I am thankful for many things: I have my own toys and daily playtime with my family, my own place and bed to protect me from thunderstorms (and sometimes I sleep with the humans!). I am loved and have the best life possible. I try to show how grateful I am by doing stuff like offering to clean the meat pans. Mom says no, but she just smiles and gives me an extra dog cookie. I help my people get their exercise and meet new people. I wish for all canines around the world a loving family, a warm house, tasty food, a cozy bed, lots of snuggles, good smells, and happy playtime
… now about those meat pans
just a couple licks surely couldn’t hurt me, could they?
(If I make my very sad face, I may not get the meat pan, but I will surely get another dog cookie…life is good).
A grateful heart unlocks the fullness of life
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a simple meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
A grateful heart makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow
—Melody Beattie
