No matter what holiday you celebrate, chances are that the food is a big part of it.
That’s actually my favourite part of ANY holiday – the nos! What are we making? Will it smell delicious? Will it look good? Most importantly, will it be dog friendly and can I have some?!
The holidays at Casa de Kolchak are no exception to the rule.
Yum Yum Yum! Sweet, fantastic delicious turkey. So delicious. I am totally a turkey hound. As soon as I start to smell that delicious roasty scent coming from that magic box in the kitchen, I lose my puggley mind. Seriously. Imagine me sitting in front of the oven, just staring for hours on end.
Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
I am pretty darn sure that I’m getting a plate of holiday dinner. Turkey and potatoes and squash and brussel sprouts and OHMIDOG! I just can not WAIT! This is going to be the best meal ever. I know that lots of people put the kibosh on holiday table scraps. We are not those people.
Done right, you can absolutely share a special holiday meal with your dog.
OK, I know we’re not exactly toeing the “No Table Scraps” or “No People Food” party line here, but frankly, to me, those rules make NO SENSE. There is no “people food” or “dog food”, there is just food. Follow these simple guidelines, and there is no reason your dog can’t celebrate the holidays in style!
Photo credit: tuchodi via Flickr/Creative Commons
- DO start slow. If your dog has never eaten real food before, now is not the time to give them a big meal. Instead Choose a few pieces of white meat and a couple slices of vegetable to put over their kibbles. Serving up an entire fresh meal if your dog only eats kibble is a recipe for disaster.
- DON’T serve up a plate full of food. Watch the portion size and make sure you keep it appropriate to your dog. For example, Kol gets about a cup of fresh dinner; Felix gets about 3/4 c.
- DO make real food a part of their routine. It’s actually a great idea to add a bit of lean protein and a few fresh veggies to your kibble a few times a week. Variety is the spice of life and fresh foods contain all sorts of great nutrients that kibbles don’t have.
- DON’T serve anything greasy or fatty. This is meant to be a special treat, not a trip to the Emergency Vet. Fatty foods put your pet at risk for pancreatitis. Play it safe and cut the fat.
- DO plan ahead. Serve up a small portion of veggies for your pup BEFORE you add the butter, salt, or anything else. Use the potatoes before you mash them with cream and butter, the carrots before you add the brown sugar glaze, the brussel sprouts before the butter, the green beans before the bacon…you get my drift! Veggies are best served to your pup – naked.
- DON’T serve the bones. Cooked poultry bones are brittle, hard and sharp like no doggy’s business. If your dog manages to eat one without choking, it could perforate their stomach or bowels. Don’t chance it, check all meals closely for bones before serving.
- DO choose lean meats. Think Turkey Breast, not turkey thigh. Skip the skin, your pup doesn’t need it.
- DON’T go carb heavy. You shouldn’t heap the plate full of mashed potatoes and skip the meat. Try for 40% meat, 40% carb and 20% vegetables.**Please note that this recipe is not suitable for everyday use. Intended only for supplemental feeding, as it does not contain everything your dog needs to thrive.
- DO mix it up! We recommend mashing the vegetables and meat together before you serve it. For one, a dog’s digestive tract is too short to effectively break down whole veggies and process them. Mashing the veggies makes it way easier for your dog to absorb the nutrients from the veggies. Plus, if your dog is anything like me, he’s going to snarf down all the meat and try to leave the veggies behind. Mashing it together means everything gets eaten.
- DON’T feed dog’s onions. Ever. Period. Exclamation point. Just don’t do it. Onions have been linked to a very very scary disorder called hemolytic anemia. Scary freaking stuff. Don’t even fool around with onions.
Most of all, enjoy your holiday with your pet!
Before the tryptophan kicks in, we thought we’d tell you what we are grateful for. Here at Kol’s Notes, we’re grateful for a blog we love and learning about a topic we are passionate about, fabulous friends that have taught us so much and a family who is always there. Good food, good friends and the good life – really, what else is there?
We hope you’ll share your holiday with us. Join in and tell us how you’re celebrating ♥
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Alfie Entlebucher
22 November, 2013 at 10:31 AMRoooo this will be my very first Thanksgiving since moving to the US so I’m excited and I hope I’ll get to try some of the humans’ food *Waggy tail*. Thanks for all the tips, I will make sure to share it on PInterest right away!