Can Dogs Eat Turkey? Or Is Turkey Bad For Dogs?

ComeĀ Thanksgiving time, we all love to gather round the table with turkey being served to everybody. And, every dog owner knows that during holidays such as Thanksgiving, your dog doesnā€™t like to get left out, and you really donā€™t like to leave them out of all the action either.

Truth be told, your dog immediately becomes just as important as any family member.

During thanksgiving, you, members of your family or guests that pay you a visit oftenĀ like to feed your dogĀ turkey to be friendly.

But the question is, can dogs eat turkey? Or is turkey bad for dogs?

Can Dogs Have Turkey?

Even though there is somewhat of controversy around this issue, the answer is YES, you can safely feedĀ your dog some turkey, but there are a couple of things you should know about before going ahead and doing that.

First of all,Ā allĀ bone pieces should be removed from the turkey you give to your dog, every last bit of them.

Turkey bones have the capability ofĀ splintering and stick in your dogā€™s throatĀ or intestines, which greatly threatens your dogā€™s life.

You should also get rid of any skin on the turkey you give your dog to eat, because the turkey skin contains very high levels of fat, which canĀ lead to a serious and life threatening health hazard calledĀ pancreatitis in your dog, where the pancreas of your dog becomes greatly inflamed.

If your dog developsĀ pancreatitis, they can get diarrhea, dehydration, intense abdominal pain, start to vomit uncontrollably, a drastically decreased appetite, start to cry excessively, get depressed, feel week and lethargic and feel irritated.

You should also ensureĀ that your dog doesnā€™t come anywhere near any onions or garlic while they eat turkey,Ā because onions are very toxic to dogs and garlic can cause some serious allergies.

If you suspect your dog has consumed turkey skin, you need to immediately get in contact with your veterinarian (or any available pet health professional during thanksgiving if your veterinarian is unavailable), because if left untreated for some time, pancreatitisĀ can lead to life threatening events such asĀ blood clotting, cardiovascular diseases, liver damage and kidney damage.

How Much Turkey Can Dogs Eat?

Whenever you give turkey for your dog to eat, you should make sure that it only forms a small part of their overall diet and that you donā€™t feed them turkey excessively.

I cannot stress this enough, feeding your dog excess turkey can lead to a deadly disease in dogs called pancreatitis, and the last thing you want is that to happen, because even after proper treatment your dog will still face the probability of having permanent kidney damage.

So stick to feeding your dog only very small amounts of turkey.

Why Is Turkey Good For Dogs?

If you feed your dog lean turkey (which means turkey without the skin and with the bones removed),Ā youā€™ll be giving your dog aĀ treat they find really yummy, an excellent source ofĀ proteins they need and an excellent source of nutrients their body required.

Can Dogs Eat Turkey Bones?

NO, dogs can in no way, shape or form eat turkey bones.

Come holiday season, dogs just love toĀ dig into the trash canĀ and search their way for some turkey bones.

Here are some of the reasons why dogs cannot eat turkey bones.

  • Bones can splinter and canĀ lead to life threatening blockage or puncturing of your dogā€™s intestine, which would require immediate surgery
  • Bones have a very high chance of being stuck in your dogā€™s esophagus, which leads to them choking
  • Dogs can break some of their teeth whileĀ chewing on bones
  • Bones can lead toĀ tongue injuries in your dog
  • Bones can getĀ stuck around the lower jaw of your dog
  • If yourĀ dogā€™s stomach or intestines get punctured by bone fragments they consume, this can lead to life threateningĀ bacterial infections
  • BonesĀ can cause serious constipation in your dog
  • Bones can lead to extreme pain and bleeding from your dogā€™sĀ rectum asĀ they try to pass them in their stool

Try your best to avoid leaving any turkey bones in trash cans your dog can find their way to, and place them somewhere thatā€™s definitely outside of your dogā€™s reach.

Signs Of Something Wrong

Here are some of the signs that often mean your dog has consumed excessive turkey. Keep in mind that some of these symptoms may appear immediately, while others might take up to a week to show on your dog. If any of these signs appear on your dog, immediately seek professional help.

  • Depression
  • Diarrhea
  • Drastically decreased appetite
  • Vomiting
  • Bloating, which is very serious in dogs and can often be deadlyĀ if not treated immediately. You can tell your dog is suffering from bloating if they start toĀ excessively salivate, show signs of weakness and lethargy orĀ have a fastĀ heart rate.

You should also be aware that some dogs are just allergic to turkey by nature, and these dogs just cannot digest it properly like other dogs can.

This is one of the major reasons why you should give your dog only a tiny amount of turkey at first if you have never given them any before and see if theyā€™re allergic to turkey or not.

If you notice that your dog got sick afterĀ eating even the slightest amounts of turkey, then itā€™s best thatĀ you donā€™t give feed them turkey again.

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