Tag Archive for: thanksgiving

Foods To Keep Your Pets Away From This Thanksgiving Header

Foods To Keep Your Pets Away From This Thanksgiving

Foods To Keep Your Pets Away From This Thanksgiving Header

Foods To Keep Your Pets Away From This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time of abundance but should your pet get a plate as well? We’ve put together a list of foods to keep your pets away from this Thanksgiving to save you a Thanksgiving trip to the emergency vet.

Stuffing

Stuffing often contains onions and garlic which are toxic to pets. If your pet gets into a teeny, tiny amount of stuffing that’s okay but you shouldn’t be giving them a plateful.

Ham & Pork Products

These products tend to be very fatty which is hard on their digestive tracks.

Poultry & Bones

You want to keep any cooked bones away from pets, especially chicken bones. Chicken bones can splinter and are harder to digest which can lead to tearing of the esophagus, intestine, or stomach as well as blockages that require veterinary care.

Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes by themselves aren’t bad, it’s the things we add to mashed potatoes that make them unhealthy. Butter, dairy products, green onions, pepper, can give your pet quite a stomach ache. If you’re looking for a great made-for-humans mashed potato recipe, this is one of my favorites from Taste of Lizzy T.

Grapes & Raisins

While less common at Thanksgiving tables, grapes and raisins may be found in things – like stuffing. Or they may be served in a bowl of nuts as a snack. Grapes and raisins are extremely toxic to cats and dogs and can cause kidney failure.

Nuts

On of the foods to keep your pets away from this Thanksgiving is nuts. Most nuts are extremely high in fat which can cause digestive issues.

Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the most common things pet parents are aware their their furbabies shouldn’t have. But remember, the darker the chocolate the more toxic it is due to the higher cocoa content.

Bread Dough & Yeast

Bread dough and yeast should be avoided due to the alcohol content produced by the yeast, especially in uncooked dough. Uncooked dough is also not safe due to the yeast being active and continuing to rise. Dough can expand well over three times the size it starts out at if conditions are right. It would be like you swallowing a loaf of bread whole!

Gravy

Gravy has a lot of toxic ingredients (garlic and onions) in addition to the high fat content. This makes it harder for your pet to digest and gives them tummy troubles.

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet This Thanksgiving Infographic

Want to make your pet a Thanksgiving plate still?

Including your pet in the festivities can be fun but we want to make sure our pets are safe. Here is a list of traditional Thanksgiving foods (with some tweaks) so your pet can get their own plate.

  • Canned, plain pumpkin – not pumpkin pie filling;
  • Sweet potato dog chews – you can either make these yourself or purchase them from your local pet store;
  • Turkey or Pork wet pet food – wet food comes in a variety of flavors. Consider picking up one that is turkey or pork;
  • Carob treats – carob is the pet-safe version of chocolate. You can find a variety of carob treats at your local pet store

Thanksgiving Dog and Cat Coloring Sheets

Thanksgiving is coming up! Do you have some free time and want to do some coloring? Or give the kids something fun to do today!

You can download pages individually or all 4 at once Thanksgiving Coloring Sheets!

When you are done share pictures with us on social media!


 

 

 

Easy Thanksgiving Treats to Make for Your Dog

4 Easy Thanksgiving Dog Treat Recipes Header

 

It’s officially November, kitchens and cooks all over the nation are getting prepped for the big day including those who want to make some easy Thanksgiving dog treats. Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and it’s time to start planning your menu. This year make sure to include your dog in the menu by whipping some easy to make treats of their very own. Whether you’re an avid chef and baker or just starting out, you’ll find that you can at least make one or two of these homemade treat recipes.

 


The Easiest Ever Two-Ingredients Treats

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix ingredients together to form a stiff dough. If necessary, add extra flour or water as needed.
  3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out evenly until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut into the desired shape or a pizza cutter to make cubes.
  4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, place treats about 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
  5. Allow them to cool completely before storing in a paper bag (storing in an air-tight container will make them soft, but they’re still edible).

 

The Easiest-Ever Two Ingredients Dog Treats Recipe Card


Frozen Apple Smoothie Bites 

Ingredients:

  • 2 Apples
  • 1 Cup Greek Nonfat Plain Yogurt
  • Water

Directions:

  1. Slice 2 apples into small pieces but remove the seeds and the core.
  2. Mix the apple slices, yogurt, and a splash of water in your NutriBullet or blender and blend until you get a liquid consistency.
  3. Pour the mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze for a few hours or until hard.
  4. Put the leftover treats into a Tupperware container and store them in the freezer.

 

Frozen Apple Smoothie Bites Recipe Card


Dog-Friendly Pumpkin Pie Bites

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Mix oatmeal and flour together in a large bowl.
  3. Add enough water to get the dough to form a ball. Add water slowly, too much will make it too sticky, not enough and it will crumble.
  4. Line cupcake tins. Take a chunk of dough and press into the bottom of the cupcake liner. The dough should go up sides a bit, about a 1/2″.
  5. Bake crust for 8 mins, until firm and slightly brown.
  6. Carefully take crusts out of the tin, cool on the rack. When cool, remove liners.
  7. Mix pumpkin, banana, and half of the yogurt together.
  8. Fill each crust with pumpkin banana mixture.
  9. Freeze until firm. Serve Frozen.

 

Dog-Friendly Pumpkin Pie Bites Recipe Card


Peanut Butter Molasses Treats

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  3. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
  4. Knead dough into a ball
  5. Roll the ball out onto a floured surface 1/4 inch thick
  6. Take a pizza cutter and score the dough horizontally and then vertically to make a grid. Be careful to score the dough, not completely cut through.
  7. Place on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
  8. Cool and break into pieces, then refrigerate.

 

Peanut Butter Molasses Dog Treats Recipe Card


The best part of making your own easy Thanksgiving dog treats is that you know exactly what your dog is eating. Plus, they get to feel like a special part of the family on Thanksgiving. If you decide to add one or all of the recipes to your menu, let us know how they turn out!

Do You Charge Extra for Holidays?

Q: Do you charge extra for holidays?

A: This question is easy! We do not charge extra for holidays. That is our gift to you!

Many companies charge extra for holidays. Some charge more just for the day while others charge more for the entire week. Truth be told, we used to charge extra. We found that it made us feel crummy so we did away with it. We know that the holidays can be a costly time, with buying presents and travel expenses. We do not want to make it worse by charging you extra for holidays.

What about your pet sitter?

Since we do not charge extra for the holidays, your sitter does not make more than they would on a normal day. Our wonderful sitters give up their time with family and friends to make sure your pets are getting the best care possible while you are gone. Should you be feeling generous, feel free to tip your sitters extra for working during the holidays!

As always, thank you for supporting your local small business during the holiday season!

Planning on traveling for the holidays? Learn how to travel safely with cats on our blog.

What Your Pet Sitter is Thankful For

 

At Wet Noses Pet Sitting we have wonderful jobs and there is not better time to be thankful for the work we do than on Thanksgiving. Here is what I am thankful for:

  • Wonderful clients that appreciate the work we do year round.
  • Amazing animals for us to work with every day.
  • Healthy pets and a fantastic team of pet sitters that work hard to take care of their animal charges.

All of these make life happy and run smoothly, all year round. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Have a Safe Thanksgiving with Your Pets

Guest writer – Sidehill Sitter Marshon Miller

Ah Thanksgiving… a time for family, friends and lots of great food, but this festive time may also come with added dangers for our furry friends.

 

Extra Visitors
Often we have more visitors than normal coming in and out of our homes, which can make pets excited and overstimulated.  Those extra visitors can cause our pets stress and perhaps bring out a nervous streak in Fido that has never been seen before.  Consider giving them some quiet alone time with a special treat if they show signs of stress and make sure everyone knows how to properly interact with your pup.

 

Door Dashing

Extra visitors coming in and out can leads to opportunities for our four-legged friends to make a run for it.  Keep an eye out when guests are coming and going and if you forsee a problem consider having your fur friends in quiet room until everyone has arrives.  This has the additional bonus of giving your pups a chance to calmly meet people without the excitement of a greeting at the door.

Kitties that are allowed to explore outdoors may be too scared to come inside when it’s time so consider keeping them inside for the day to prevent any problems.  For shy kitties a quiet room alone might be the best Thanksgiving present you can give them!

 

Tempting treats
Then there’s the Thanksgiving feast.  While plain sweet potatoes, pumpkin and carrots are okay for Fido or Fluffy, those delicious fat trimmings could cause an upset stomach, and cooked poultry bones can break and splinter causing obstructions and lacerations in our pets’ digestive tracts.  It’s important to be diligent when food is out so that it doesn’t “disappear” only to find our furry friend not feeling so great a while later.

Managing our visitors’ interactions with our pets, watching those entrances and exits, keeping our kitties indoors and making informed decisions on treats from the table can make Thanksgiving a safe and fun time for us all!