9 Thanksgiving Foods That Are Safe to Share with Your Dog

There's no reason to banish Bowser from the Thanksgiving table! There are traditional meal items that your dog can indulge in, too.

Every Thanksgiving, North Americans are faced with worries as big as the feast. Will we survive another visit from our in-laws? Will our favorite football team stop breaking our hearts and finally win a game? One thing that should not be on our mind, however, is whether our pets are at risk.

Here are the safest foods (in small, treat-size portions, of course) that are safe for our best friends off the Thanksgiving menu.

Turkey: Cooked poultry bones can easily break and may get stuck in your pets' throats or bruise their stomachs, so if your pooch wants some extra protein on their plate, stick to white-meat turkey with no skin or bones ONLY. 

Yummy Yams: Although your favorite version may be decked out with caramelized brown sugar and marshmallows, hold the sweets when you serve them to your sweetie pie. Plain yams are rich, delicious and filled with fiber.

Apple Slices: Raw apple slices are a great way to hold your pet over until the main course. (And make sure Fido remembers to eat his fruit!) Hold the pie, please.

Mashed Potatoes: Without the gravy and butter, please! Fatty foods can cause inflammation of the pancreas, but it is OK to serve up some plain mashed potatoes without the skin for your pooch.

Corn: Give your pooch a few kernels of corn and the carbs will keep them from dozing off before you finish your meal! Who knew corn could be a canine energy-booster?

Don’t Forget the Cranberries: While humans may disagree whether gelatin or sauce recipes are best, dogs know they both taste great! Serve your dog a small amount — watch the sugar content — and they’ll get a tasty dose of vitamin C and antioxidants.

Stuffing: Everyone’s favorite side dish is also okay for pooches to nibble on. Just make sure their serving of your famous stuffing has absolutely no onions, garlic or strong herbs — especially sage — in it. Best to give a taste of the plain batch you make for picky Aunt Edna.

Vegetables: Make sure your pet leaves room for veggies on their plate. Carrots, broccoli or string beans are nutrient-packed and will keep your pet healthy. Keep it simple by steaming them plain, without seasoning or salt.

Pumpkin: Does your pooch have a sweet tooth? Give them plain cooked or canned pumpkin instead of a slice of that pumpkin pie or pie filling.

Dogsters, what would you add to this list?

This article first ran on our friend site, Pawnation. See more recent stories from that site:

Eliminate the 10 Biggest Pet Threats in Your Home
12 Most Dangerous "People Foods" For Your Pets
A Very Awkward Family Pets Thanksgiving

View the original article here

Share Your Pit Bull Story: Saturday Is Pittie Awareness Day

Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 22, is National Pit Bull Awareness Day, and we thought the best way to celebrate these gorgeous, goofy, and often misunderstood dogs would be to encourage everyone reading who has ever had a positive experience with these pupsters to share their story in the comments section below.

To kick things off, we’ve invited our friend Laura Petrolino of StubbyDog to tell us what National Pit Bull Day means to her.

StubbyDog is a nonprofit that is working to change public perception and improve the lives of Pits everywhere. (You can read more about them on their Facebook page.)

Here’s Laura! — Janine K.

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Because I grew up with dogs, there have only been a handful of sad times when I was forced to lead a dogless life. During one of them, while I was in graduate school, a good friend, knowing of my extreme dog withdrawal, connected me with a colleague who was looking for a dog sitter. And so Ruby entered my life.

Ruby was a medium-sized, beautiful brown Pit Bull who bounced when she walked and tended to steal all the blankets at night. I was able to overlook this slight annoyance (and my cold toes) because Ruby won me over with her ridiculously goofy and loving personality. She was just what I needed, and I secretly waited for her guardian to go out of town again so I could have my Ruby vacations.

Several years later I discovered StubbyDog, a nonprofit whose mission was to change the public perception of Pit Bulls and help people rediscover them as lifelong friends. Although I’d read shocking media stories about “dangerous” and “vicious” Pit Bulls, sweet, bed-hogging Ruby was what I saw when I thought of the breed. I knew very little about the prejudice and hateful responses the dogs and their guardians are forced to deal with every day.

Because of dogs like Ruby, almost anyone who has ever known and loved a Pit Bull becomes an advocate for them, which is why events like National Pit Bull Awareness Day, on Saturday, Oct. 22, rally people to support these wonderful dogs.

Pit Bull Awareness Day shines a spotlight on brave, loyal, and loving Pit Bulls you don’t often read about in the media, such as:

Shaka

Shaka, the star K-9 cop who keeps her community safe. Spackle

Spackle, the constant companion who helped heal her mom’s PTSD. Sarge

Sarge, the survivor who taught us to respect our elders. Sal

Sal, the therapy dog with the power to soothe hospital patients. Jagger

And Jagger, the victim of dog fighting, who teaches us all the power of forgiveness.

There are so many heroes — canine and human — working to change public perception and improve the lives of Pit Bulls everywhere. Every day I’m inspired by a new story of hope, courage, and love! We know there’s a lot to do before more people begin to think positively about Pit Bulls, the way I did with Ruby. But the more stories we can share like those above, the better chance we have.

Dogsters, let’s make this Pit Bull Awareness Day really meaningful. How has a Pit Bull affected your life? What would you tell others about your Pittie? Please share your pawsitive stories below!

View the original article here