Food for thought over the Holidays

mopar53190

Well-Known Member
I was wondering if you are feeding your dogs something special for ThanksGiving & Christmas(if you celebrate it) I'm cooking up the turkey neck, heart, and gizzards for a special treat for my dog and cat. I'm also debating with the wife if we should give them a very small portion of potatoes, corn, and stuffing. My wife insists we do not feed the pets anything but their pet food, my argument is most of that is in their dog food. Just a little food for thought over the Holidays.
 

Jean Cote

Administrator
Staff member
Hehe, they might get a special bone or an occasional piece of my cooky, but that's about it!!! :)

When she was a puppy she accidentally knocked over a beer at poolside while nobody was looking, and she drank the entire thing. She slept for the entire day after that, poor pup! Ever since then she'll do anything for beer.

I personally rarely drink, so I'm not abusing my dog or anything, it's just that when I have guests over and they all drink beer, she goes nuts and does all of her tricks for my guests for a bit of beer dropped in her food bowl.

(I hope I don't get mobbed on this one!) :dogsmile:
 

mopar53190

Well-Known Member
LOL One dog I had liked beer also! I don't remember what started it, but if I do remember correctly my dad gave her a sip and liked it. Then poored a little bit in her bowl. A little beer will not hurt a dog, I look at the same as humans, Anything done in moderation will not hurt you,
 

CollieMan

Experienced Member
Nothing special here I'm afraid. Well, not from me, but you can bet your life that Jan will buy Ellie gifts. Me, I'll be the one shaking my head and looking on in disbelief. :)
 

l_l_a

New Member
Hmmm... for us, not for Thanksgiving, except maybe we'll give our dog some of the leftovers. But for Christmas you can bet the dog will get at least one present! :)
 

bipa

New Member
Supplementing your dog's diet with turkey can actually be a really good idea. Turkey is high in an amino acid called tryptophan, which is a chemical precursor to serotonin and Vitamin B3 (niacin). Serotonin has a big effect on mood in both people and animals, and helps keep us all emotionally and socially stable. Low levels of serotonin have been linked to increased aggression.

Recent studies have shown that some aggressive and fearful dogs react very well to additional tryptophan and B3 in their diets. I've recently started Little Joe on supplements containing a mix of various vitamins and minerals which will hopefully help to calm him down a bit. There is no guarrantee that it will work, though. We aren't talking about actual medication, but rather the equivalent of us humans popping a vitamin pill every morning. So it might help in getting Joey a little bit better balanced, might not have any effect at all, but certainly can't hurt. (assuming you don't overdose - even vitamins and minerals can be bad for you if you take too much! So do check with your vet about getting the doses right if you want to start a daily regime of supplements for your dog.)

Hmm...perhaps that's why most people get a bit more mellow over the Thanksgiving holidays - all that turkey! :dogbiggrin:

For more info:
DeNapoli J.S., Dodman N.H., Shuster L., Rand W. M., Gross K.L., "Effect of dietary protein content and tryptophan supplementation on dominance aggression, territorial aggression, and hyperactivity in dogs." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Vol. 217, No. 4, August 2000: 504 - 508.


P.S. I would NOT recommend adding corn to a dog's diet. Many dogs experience an allergic reaction to corn, resulting in itchy, red, flakey skin, and a dull coat.
 

mopar53190

Well-Known Member
I just fed my Cat and dog their Thanksgiving meal. My wife and I agreed on feeding them the gizzard, heart, and neck meat in a gravy type sauce mixed with their dry food. They loved it!!! I received plenty of kisses from both of them!!!
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Ha, we went visiting friends last nite, they gave Buddy some doggie icecream, and a doggie cookie, i said okay, cuz i am real picky about whatever Buddy eats, but i said okay...BUDDY HAD THE WORST GAS EVER ALL NIGHT LONG AFTERWARDS!! :beurk:poor baby, we laffed thinking our evil friends probably planned this out as a joke.. :ystop: (they didn't, but we teased them anyway for wrecking our evening!!)
 

snooks

Experienced Member
I also have no problem with organs esp of poultry or lower fat turkey meats (lower incidence of mercury). I also agree that corn is bad in any form since it is sugar. Dogs are so small that the spikes in blood sugar from corn and high glycemic carbs like white rice, white bread, potatoes, etc are uncomfortable and unhealthy. The biggest holiday don't is high fat so no roast drippings, the fat in the pan from the turkey, fatty skin etc. This can cause fatal pancreatitis b/c the dog’s body is not used to the high fat. The pancreas over-produces enzymes to digest the fat and it can digest/destroy the pancreas.

A friend's dog's died several years ago after they gave him the roast drippings pan to lick. My old dog that could barely walk got on the cabinet somehow for the first time in her life and got a rotisserie chicken. She ended up having it surgically removed after they tested her blood and said that her pancreas was indeed going to fail. A several thousand dollar chicken. ouch!! Stick to the stuff you consider healthy as treats for your dog and they'll be in heaven anyway.

Hearts and livers can be little rich and cause some tummy upset so giving them over 3-4 days mixed with food makes even more meals delicious. Happy safe puppy holidays. :dogtongue2:
 
Top