Thanksgiving foods your pet can and cannot eat, according to expert

HOUSTON - Your pet may be like family, but not everything in your family’s Thanksgiving feast is safe for them to eat.

Ahead of the holiday, Houston SPCA’s Chief Animal Welfare and Medical Officer Dr. Roberta Westbrook is sharing a list of some foods to keep away from your pet, and some you can consider sharing.

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The Houston SPA shared the following list of foods you should not feed your pet:

- Turkey bones – Cooked bones become softer and can easily splinter.  If ingested, it can penetrate internal organs causing internal bleeding or become an obstruction in the gastrointestinal system.   

- Onions, leaks, and garlic – These savory ingredients are very toxic to pets and impact red blood cells which can affect your pet’s ability to breathe.   

- Salads and sides with raisins or grapes – Grapes, raisins, and currants have been known to be quite toxic to dogs with symptoms like vomiting, lethargy and tremors. 

- Chocolate – Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine which cause diarrhea and vomiting, changes in blood pressure and agitation. 

- Well-seasoned food containing butter, fat and oil as well as desserts with lots of sugar and nuts.

File photo. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

If you want your pet to partake in a Thanksgiving treat, the Houston SPCA shares the following ideas: 

- Some unseasoned sweet potato or yams mixed with plain brown rice and broth 

- Pureed pumpkin on a lick mat to enjoy

- A small amount of unseasoned, deboned turkey and brown rice

- Steamed green beans, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers and other simple vegetables 

- Berries like strawberries and blueberries or sliced apples without the seeds, which are toxic to pets