Holiday Treats for Fideaux

The holiday season is upon us, and while I am busy prepping my recipe for a sugar-free coconut cream pie my mom will actually enjoy this year, I make sure to think of a little something sweet for my entire family. While Cousin Kenny loves eating Mom’s dump cake and Aunt Heidi can’t seem to stop bragging about her shrimp mold, I make sure I don’t forget my most favorite family members during the holidays—my dog Rooster and my cat Lorna. My fur children are my world, and as such, deserve to be treated to lip-smacking foods during the holidays just like the rest of my family.

At the same time considering some delicious and easy homemade treats for your furry friend, there are a few foods you should be mindful of that are incredibly harmful to your pets such as:

• Chocolate
• Grapes and Raisins
• Onions
• Garlic
• Macadamia Nuts
• Yeast Bread Dough
• Alcohol
• Avocado
• Coffee
• Xylitol (an artificial sweetener in sugar-free products)

Dr. Diana Tran, a veterinarian at St. Francis Veterinary Hospital in Lafayette, has some advice for keeping dangerous foods out of your furever friend’s reach: “Avoid all table scraps as many are too seasoned and may contain too much fat which can [potentially cause] gastroenteritis (inflammation of the GI tract) or pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), or may be toxic to them. Also, bones can get lodged in the esophagus and require costly diagnostics and/or surgery to treat and repair. Signs to look for are lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, inappetence, etc. If you notice any of these signs during the holiday season, call your veterinarian.”  

While the idea of feeding your animal the wrong human food may be scary, there are plenty of other human foods that are amazingly healthy for your pets while also keeping your pal’s coats shiny, skin clear, and breath smelling fresh! Not to mention if your pets are anything like mine, a lot of these foods can provide excellent means of what one should wrap those pesky flea pills in.

Try these treats frozen for hot days, steamed for dinner time, or raw for when you start prepping the Thanksgiving pies:

• Cooked meats such as beef, chicken, turkey, and other lean deli meats
• Spinach
• Peas
• Baby Carrots
• Blueberries
• Apple Slices
• Green Beans
• Pumpkin
• Cantaloupe
• Bananas

Some other unexpected foods that benefit your pets include oatmeal, yogurt, peanut butter, cheese, cooked eggs, cooked or canned fish—particularly salmon—whole grain products, and parsley.

With such a large variety of safe human food, there are quite a few different treats one could whip up in the kitchen for dogs and cats to enjoy! For instance, when I combine then freeze yogurt, peanut butter, and blueberries together, I’ve made an awesome summer snack for Rooster. Lastly, Dr. Tran wants pet owners to remember “[the best thing you can do for your fur baby is to try to be vigilant about what they could get into and make sure there's no way for them to access these foods or food products. This will ensure their wellness and happiness while you're celebrating with your friends and family!”