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Thanksgiving treats

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I’m kind of ready for Thanksgiving. I mean, sort of but not really, not the way I should be with the holiday just a couple nights away. I haven’t even solidified the menu yet. I spent the weekend flipping though a library copy of the French Laundry cookbook looking for ideas for something a little extra special, but the idea of spending 4 hours on a crudite and having truffles fed-ex’d from Italy had me a little flummoxed, so I’m trolling the web for something somewhere between “instant potatoes” and “Are you insane?” I don’t mind spending time cooking, but maybe just not to that degree.51kXFLahKhL._SS400_

That being said, it would be nice to have a little something special for Brody too (not that I want to leave Apollo out, but with his food allergies in play I really don’t give him treats.) I’m sure everyone knows the drill by now, but it never hurts to reiterate the fact that veterinary emergency hospitals overfloweth with pancreatitis, bloats, and other such painful afflictions this time of year. Here’s some reminders from the ASPCA about the more common dangers, including one a lot of people forget about- raw dough.

But if you’re like me and you’re going to be in the kitchen for a good 10 hours anyway, what’s one more teeny thing to cook? There are some great online ideas for special Thanksgiving treats and recipes you can make for those furry friends who make us thankful, every day. For example, Doggie Gobblers from RVT Jenna at About.com are a healthy treat you can make ahead of time to serve at the table.

Should you desire something holiday-ish but involves no cooking,  Northern Biscuits Turkey and Cranberry treats are a Thanksgiving friendly biscuit.

If you’re going to give your pet something straight off the table, use some basic caution. Be aware of toxic ingredients such as raisins and chocolate. Also keep in mind that while sweet potatoes are fine for dogs, sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows, brown sugar and 5 tons of butter are what puts dogs in the ICU. For this reason, and my recent purchase of 2 pounds of butter to be used at various times over the course of the day, I’ve decided to avoid the risk altogether and get a can of Merrick’s Thanksgiving Dinner for Brody instead. Ingredients: Turkey, Fresh Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Green Beans, and Granny Smith Apples. Can’t  get much more festive than that and a whole lot easier to make than what the humans are going to be noshing on. If I’m feeling inspired I might even mold it into a turkey shape.

Anyone else do something special for their pets for Thanksgiving? Any festive treats or recipes to share?

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  1. Canadians have their Thanksgiving in October, but Chewy’s birthday is tomorrow and I’m thinking of something special to make her. She’s not really one to eat human food, but she loves any and all dog food. I’ll think of something, or see something at the store.

  2. I always fix my dogs plain porkchops with a combination of wet/dry dog food for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They love it.
    Missy’s birthday is Nov 28, so I usually have to be 2 kinds of creative this time of year. Not sure what I’ll do for her this year.

  3. I’m thinking of a couple of things to get Pru not only to entertain her during the turkey festivities, but to also let her celebrate too. The Zuke Z-Ridge cranberry chew is definitely on the list and she already has a box of their Turkey n Taterz treats, so some of those are definitely going to be brought.

  5. I’m going to my sister’s house, so she’s making the turkey. And a little cooked turkey is the only thing I would give my cats. So they get to eat plain ol’ cat food! But, this week they’re getting some premium cat food samples I picked up (Evo and Instinct—mmmm, grain-free), so they should be thankful for that.

  6. Though we don’t have any big doggy events for Thanksgiving (beyond the ever-present war with the chipmunks on the patio at Mom and Dad’s house), my family does something silly on another holiday- Easter Bones. We dye small Milk Bones with the foodsafe egg dye and “hide” them (next to chair legs, behind doors) for the dogs to hunt down and find. Our Goldens got wise to us after a few years and knew which hiding spots to check first. 😀

  7. We actually have the Merrick’s Thanksgiving Day dinner in our cupboards right now! I give it to the dogs on special occasions and there are two cans left, waiting for Thursday! 😀