‘Tis the season for gift giving, holiday parties and lots of fun food and tasty treats. You, of course, want to
include your fur baby in the Christmas fun, but beware of online marketing and holiday dog displays at
your local pet store. Those seemingly innocent fun treats and chews can turn into a holiday disaster and
medical emergency.
What to Avoid:
- Rawhide: Rawhide can come in a variety of shapes and sizes as well as fun holiday colors (artificial
dye) and themes. Rawhide is not easily digestible and can swell bigger than it’s normal size while
inside the dogs stomach, increasing the risk of blockage. Rawhide also contains toxic chemicals such
as bleach, arsenic, and glue and can have sharp edges with the potential to cause stomach and
intestinal tears.
Healthier Alternative: Bully sticks are a great, all-natural alternative. They are single ingredient, high
protein, highly digestible chews made from beef. Make sure to avoid those advertised as “low odor”,
as they have chemicals added to mask the natural scent. Also, be mindful as they chew the bully
stick down to a smaller sized nub; dogs may try to swallow it and this could be a potential choking
risk. An easy fix for this is a Bully Buddy Holder which tightly secures bully sticks, preventing dogs
from choking on the tail-end of the treat. Favorite brands: Best Bully Sticks, and Red Barn. - Flashy Treats: These are the treats that are filled with artificial colors, synthetic vitamins, artificial
flavors, and inflammatory ingredients. So many mainstream, well-known treats such as Milk Bones,
Beggin Strips and holiday-themed cookie treats for dogs are filled with these unhealthy ingredients.
Healthier Alternative: Single-ingredient, freeze-dried treats such as turkey liver, chicken hearts, beef
hearts and minnows. Favorite brands: Small Batch, Primal and Vital Essentials. - Human holiday food that should NOT be shared with your pup: Chocolate, Candy, Baked goods, Alcohol, Cooked bones, Meat with skin
or seasoning, High fat foods, Grapes/raisins, Nuts (Not a complete list. Please look up any human food before you share with your dog.) - Human holiday food you can share with your pup in small amounts: Unseasoned meat (ham & turkey), Plain sweet potato, Cranberries, Green beans,
Maybe even pay a small amount of the cheese tax—after all, it is the holidays!
