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It’s tempting to slip Fido a piece of Thanksgiving turkey or a cold cut from the lunch meat, but could turkey be harming your dog? Which state is feeding its dogs the most turkey? Learn the answers along with some alternatives (and a yummy turkey treat recipe to make with the Thanksgiving leftovers).
Is Turkey Bad For Dogs?
Plain turkey itself is generally a pretty tasty and nutritious snack for most dogs, and it’s commonly used in dog food itself. 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.
Thanksgiving turkey can be just as dangerous. We like to cover and fill our birds in oil, butter, seasonings, garlic, onion, stuffing, etc. This can upset your dog’s digestive system or even cause pancreatitis. It’s better to avoid sliding your dog a piece under the table.
If you choose to give your dog turkey, 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.
Which States Feed Dogs The Most (& Least) Thanksgiving Turkey?
We did some research to identify which states feed their dogs the most turkey leftovers around the Thanksgiving holiday. The locations may surprise you!
Montana came out on top as the state with the happiest pups on Thanksgiving (because their owners are consistently eager to know whether it is okay to feed turkey to their dogs). Right behind Montanan pups are those from Delaware, Alaska, West Virginia and New Mexico.
Wondering where dogs are most likely the least to chow down on turkey? Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas and Arkansas showed the least interest in this subject, suggesting those dogs might be left out of the Thanksgiving festivities (or perhaps they just already know it’s okay to feed turkey to dogs in these areas).
There is also some good news for all dogs (and their bellies) – searches for “Can Dogs Eat Turkey” are up by double digits year over year for the past five years. So, it seems that more and more dogs are successfully begging their way into more poultry on Turkey Day (or parents are doing a better job of researching it ahead of time).
Methodology
Google Trends U.S. state data for the phrase ‘can dogs eat turkey’ was analyzed for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to the Tuesday after for each of the past 5 Thanksgivings (2013-2018). Tuesday to Tuesday each year around Thanksgiving are by far the vast amount of searches for this term during any given calendar year during this time frame.
Turkey Dog Treat Recipe
If you want to try giving your dog some Thanksgiving leftovers below is a dog treat recipe. Remember to avoid giving your dog a butter soaked, herb covered stuffing filled turkey and to only give it to them in moderation. Removing the skin is a great way to eliminate these things.
- 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: Approximately 8 cups (64 oz.)
Is Turkey Bad For Dogs Infographic
Here’s a handy graphic you can share and print out with the recipe.
To share this infographic on your site, simply copy and paste the code below:
Turkey Alternative For Dogs
If you are looking for a delicious pre-made turkey recipe, we highly recommend you get your paws on Pet Plate. 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 Pet Plate review.
Our readers have access to save 50% off your first box of PetPlate! Just use this link to get started!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your pups!
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About as good for your dog as onion and nutmeg.
Disclaimers dont erase liability when you cause someone’s animal harm by knowingly giving false information. Everyone legit, from the American Veterinary association to the AKC warns against Turkey. Studies are extremely conclusive.
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!