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Is Turkey Bad For Dogs?
Turkey itself is generally a pretty tasty and nutritious snack for most dogs. There isn’t anything particularly toxic about it, but when processed like with deli meats and turkey hot dogs, the chemicals used to keep them “edible” is often not digested well by dogs. We do not recommend feeding your dog any kind of processed meats.
Also, moderation is key and always remember that each dog is an individual.
Some dogs are allergic to beef and some to chicken. If you see a pattern with your pup eating turkey and subsequently getting sick, then you’ve done the right thing by removing the turkey from their diet.
Turkey Dog Treat Recipe
Want to do something special for your pup this Thanksgiving? Has he or she been super good while you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen? They deserve a treat of their very own and this Thanksgiving leftover-inspired turkey dog treat recipe will leave them woofing with joy!
- 1 loaf uncooked bread or pizza dough (kneaded into “dough”)
- 1/4 Cup chicken broth (preferably low sodium) or water
- 1-2 Teaspoon flour
- 3/4 Cup cooked turkey chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 Cup cooked vegetables
- 1/4 Cup grated cheese (pick your pup’s favorite)
- 1/4 Cup sesame seeds
Cooking Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Roll out the dough and cut into 3″ circles with a cookie cutter.
- In a pan, combine the broth and flour, stirring until flour is dissolved.
- Heat on medium until mixture thickens.
- Add the turkey and vegetables. Cook until mixture is thoroughly heated.
- Simmer for a few minutes.
- Spoon one to two teaspoons of the turkey-veggie mixture onto each circle.
- Fold up the sides and pinch shut.
- Roll into a ball shape.
- Separately, mix the cheese and sesame seeds in a small bowl.
- Roll or sprinkle each ball with the cheese-sesame seed mixture.
- Arrange the balls on a baking sheet and cook for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
Allow time for this turkey dog treat recipe to cool and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Serving Size: Approx. 8 cups (or 64 oz)
Is Turkey Bad For Dogs Infographic
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Turkey Alternative For Dogs
If you are looking for a delicious pre-made turkey recipe, we highly recommend you get your paws on PetPlate. They’ll gobble it up (or at least our dogs do). It’s freshly made wet dog food packed with all the nutrients that your pup needs and delivered to your doorstep! Our Chief Dog Officer Lily is a big fan and thinks you should give it a try too. Learn more in our PetPlate review.
Our readers have access to save an additional 25% off your first order of PetPlate with coupon code JOURNAL25, you can use this discount with any other discount that PetPlate offers! Right now they are offering 25% off on their website, so when you combine the two you'll get 50% off! Just use this link to get started!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your pups!
Yes, an allergy has to be the case. I give my dog turkey all the time, and she is a Chihuahua too, and she never has any problems. In fact, she loves it. That is scary though, not realizing that your dog has an allergy. At least her reaction was not a major one and she could breathe. But I always get scared when my dog gets sick, it is scary because she cannot talk and tell me what is wrong or what hurts. One thing I could suggest is that if you feel like your dog really loved the flavor of the turkey, but would just get sick soon after eating it; you could give her vegetarian turkey possibly, though it is usually made with soy and wheat, so those could be allergens to a sensitive dog as well. I am not sure. What I do know is that my little puppy cannot seem to tell the difference between real meat and veggie. The funny secret is that neither can humans. They put this stuff into restaurant food like soups and stews called TVP, and it takes on the flavor of whatever dish it is in. Sometimes you have it in your food and you have no idea that you are eating chicken or beef. One of the ways that people use TVP is to create the illusion of more meat in food, without having to spend the money. For example, when a person re-hydrates a pound of TVP and cooks it with a pound of ground beef, the TVP will take on that flavor and it will be good. Anyway, just a bit of extra information. The veggie turkey you buy however will not have any cooked turkey juices at all. It will be all vegetarian (possibly with some eggs) seasoned to taste like the meat that you desire. A lot of these mock meat copies work well as substitutes in recipes, and some of them taste close to real meat by human standards, but by dog standards, I really think that they taste like meat. My dog has always reacted the same way to a piece of veggie lunchmeat or a piece of real lunchmeat. To her, it just seems like good meat. I guess there is something to be said for that. It could be a good option for your little pup!