Thanksgiving Foods Dogs Can and Cannot Eat

The one rule behind every verdict on this page

The food itself is rarely the problem. The problem is how Thanksgiving food is cooked. The AKC puts it plainly: many Thanksgiving staples are safe for dogs when prepared plainly and served in small portions, and the danger comes from added butter, salt, sugar, seasonings and other rich or fatty ingredients. The ASPCA gives the same advice from the other side: stick to your dog's normal diet, and if you share anything at all, make it a small bite of plain food.

That gives you a simple test for every dish on the table. Plain, boneless, fully cooked and small: if a bite fails any one of those four words, it stays on your plate. Set the safe foods aside before the butter, salt and seasonings go in, because once a dish is dressed for people, it is dressed wrong for dogs.

Safe to share: the Thanksgiving foods dogs can eat

These are the foods the AKC and the ASPCA both clear for dogs, in small amounts and prepared plainly. Serve them after the meal, mixed into your dog's usual dinner, not handed from the table while everyone is eating.

Food	How to serve it	What to leave out
Plain turkey meat	Small pieces of fully cooked white breast meat, skin and bones removed	Skin, bones, drippings, seasoning, butter, garlic butter, brine
Plain sweet potato	Boiled or baked, mashed plain, a spoonful at a time	Brown sugar, marshmallows, maple syrup, butter, pecans
Plain potato	Boiled or baked, served plain	Butter, cream, milk, salt, onions, garlic, rich seasonings
Plain green beans	Steamed or boiled, set aside before toppings	Butter, salt, onion, garlic, casserole sauce, fried onions
Plain peas	A spoonful of plain cooked peas	Cream, butter, rich sauces: creamed peas are not safe
Pure pumpkin puree	A spoonful of 100 percent canned pumpkin	Spiced or sugary pie mix, pumpkin pie, whipped cream
Apple slices	Fresh slices, cut around the core	Core and seeds, apple pie, caramel, sugar
Plain carrots	Raw or cooked, cut to a safe size	Butter, glaze, sugar, seasoning
Plain corn, off the cob	A spoonful of kernels, never the cob	Butter, salt, the cob itself, which can block the gut
Fresh cranberries	A few plain berries only, in a small amount	Cranberry sauce, sugar, jellied sauce, dried sweetened cranberries

Our one-food guides cover several of these in detail: can dogs eat cranberries, carrots, corn, peas and apples. Individual verdict pages for turkey, pumpkin, sweet potato, green beans, stuffing, gravy and mashed potatoes are coming soon, and the verdicts above already follow the same sources those pages will use.

How much is a safe amount?

A spoonful of each safe food is plenty for most dogs. Treats and table food together should stay under about 10 percent of your dog's daily calories, and for a small dog that is only a few bites in total. One small plate of plain foods, served once, is a treat. A second helping, a third helping, and scraps all afternoon is a stomach upset at best and a vet visit at worst.

Skip table food entirely if your dog has pancreatitis, diabetes, a sensitive stomach or a prescription diet. Puppies, senior dogs and dogs on medication are more likely to react badly to rich food, so ask your vet before sharing anything from the table.

Never feed: the foods that stay on human plates

Some Thanksgiving foods are simply dangerous, and several are common enough that guests hand them over without thinking. The AKC lists all of these as foods not to feed your dog, and the ASPCA's holiday warnings match the same list.

• Turkey bones and the carcass. Cooked poultry bones are brittle and can splinter, causing choking, mouth and throat injuries, or a blockage that needs surgery. Put the carcass straight into a lidded bin or outside, never on a plate on the counter.
• Turkey skin, drippings and fat trimmings. The skin holds most of the fat plus the butter or oil used in roasting. Fatty scraps can trigger pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas that often shows up one to three days after the meal, long after the guests have gone home.
• Gravy. Fatty and salty, often made with onion, garlic or bouillon. Bouillon cubes carry high amounts of sodium, which the ASPCA warns can lead to gastrointestinal problems and even seizures.
• Stuffing. Usually made with onions, garlic, butter and seasonings, and sometimes raisins. Onions and garlic damage red blood cells in dogs, and signs can take days to appear.
• Casseroles. Green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and mac and cheese are all rich, fatty and seasoned, and they hide onion, garlic, butter, sugar and nuts.
• Ham. High in salt and fat, and glazes add sugar. The AKC lists it among the foods to avoid.
• Chocolate and desserts. Chocolate contains theobromine, which is toxic to dogs, and darker chocolate carries more risk. Pies, cookies and sweets are rich and fatty, and sugar-free desserts may contain xylitol, which can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar and liver damage. Our guides: can dogs eat chocolate and xylitol.
• Grapes and raisins. They can cause kidney failure in dogs, and there is no known safe amount. They hide in fruit salads, some stuffing recipes and desserts. Our guide: can dogs eat grapes and raisins.
• Onions, garlic, scallions and chives. All members of the onion family can damage red blood cells and lead to anemia. They are in stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole and roasted vegetables. Our guides: onions and garlic.
• Alcohol. Absorbed quickly, and even small amounts can make a dog very sick. Keep wine, cocktails, eggnog and spiked cider out of reach.
• Raw yeast dough. Rising dough can expand in the stomach and release alcohol, which the ASPCA warns can cause painful bloating and a life threatening emergency. Keep rising rolls well away from dogs.
• Macadamia nuts. They show up in cookies and salads, and can cause weakness, vomiting and tremors in dogs. Our guide: macadamia nuts.
• Corn on the cob. Dogs can swallow pieces of a cob or the whole cob, which can choke them or block the gut. Kernels off the cob are fine; the cob goes straight in the bin.
• Pumpkin pie and pecan pie. Sugar, fat, nutmeg and pecans, and sugar-free pies may contain xylitol. Pie is people food, full stop.

The hidden ingredients: where the danger hides

The riskiest Thanksgiving foods are not the ones sitting plainly on the plate. They are the ingredients mixed into dishes that look harmless. Onion and garlic hide in stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole and roasted vegetables. Raisins hide in stuffing and fruit salad. Xylitol hides in sugar-free desserts, gum and some peanut butters. Nutmeg hides in pumpkin pie and eggnog. The ASPCA notes that sage and many other herbs contain essential oils and resins that can upset a pet's stomach, so even the seasoning on an otherwise safe dish is a reason to skip it.

Raw batter is another hidden risk. Cake and cookie batter made with raw eggs may carry salmonella, and batter can also hold chocolate, raisins or xylitol before it is baked. Keep dogs out of the kitchen while you bake, and keep the mixing bowl out of reach.

Keeping your dog safe on the day

Thanksgiving brings an increase in emergency vet visits across the US, according to the AKC, because of the extra, often unsafe human food dogs end up eating. The food is only half the risk. Guests hand over treats without asking, children drop food, and leftovers sit within reach.

• Tell every guest the rules before the meal. No scraps from the table, no bones, no dessert. Prepare a few dog-safe treats ahead of time, so everyone can include your dog in the celebration safely.
• Give your dog a quiet place. A full house and a noisy kitchen can overwhelm a dog. Leave a bedroom door open with a blanket and water, so your dog can curl up away from the crowd.
• Keep bags and medication out of reach. Guests' handbags often hold medication, gum and sweets, and the ASPCA notes that pets swallowing medication is all too common. Ask guests to keep personal items up high.
• Secure the trash. After dinner the bin holds the carcass, bones, foil, string, onion skins and chocolate wrappers. Empty it often, use a lidded bin, or keep your dog out of the kitchen entirely.
• Store leftovers properly. Bones, scraps and wrappers go into sealed containers or straight outside. A dog that raids the bin at midnight eats everything on the never-feed list at once.
• Watch the decorations too. Candles, wires and glass ornaments are all within a curious dog's reach. Keep them up high or behind a barrier.

If your dog eats something unsafe

Do not wait for symptoms if your dog ate chocolate, xylitol, grapes or raisins, onions or garlic, raw yeast dough or alcohol. Call your veterinarian right away. For anything else you are unsure about, call your vet, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661. Both helplines answer every day, including Thanksgiving, and a consultation fee may apply.

Do not try to make your dog vomit unless a vet or poison line tells you to. Vomiting can make some ingestions worse. Note what your dog ate, how much, and when, and have that ready when you call. Our emergency guide walks through exactly what to do if your dog ate something toxic.

The simplest Thanksgiving is also the safest one. Your dog's usual dinner, a few plain spoonfuls set aside before the cooking starts, a quiet room to rest in, and a bin that stays shut. Your dog will not miss the feast, and you will not spend the holiday at the emergency vet.

More food safety help: all our can dogs eat guides, and the what to do if your dog ate something toxic guide.