Safely Treat Your Furry Buddy This Holiday Weekend!

It is a holiday weekend upon us, so I think it is a good time to see which of our Holiday meals we can share with our dogs.  Easter and Passover offer us humans the opportunity for family and good food.  Everyone sets a different table, so I will discuss just a few of the more popular Easter and Passover meals.  If you don’t see your family favorite discussed, comment below or send us a twitter message!

As a reminder, it is ok to share some table food with our furry babies on special occasions, but we need to be careful about giving them raw meats and eggs.  We also want to make sure that unless we have created a Vet approved “human” food diet for our dogs (and cats!) we want to limit the amount of table food we give our pets.  Leftovers should be a special treat and NOT used to replace a proper dog food diet (unless Vet approved as stated above).

What is Easter without hard boiled eggs?  The best part about our Easter eggs is that they are cooked and not raw.  Raw eggs can cause deficiencies in a dog’s biotin level.  Biotin is also known as Vitamin H and helps with cell growth and production of fatty acids.  Hard boiled or cooked eggs can provide dogs with necessary protein, riboflavin, and selenium.  Riboflavin is beneficial for dog breeds who are prone problems with their eyes, cataracts, and will also help with anxiety and will help strengthen the digestive system in dogs.  Selenium is beneficial to the immune system in dogs.  Sharing our hard boiled Easter eggs with our dogs is a healthy treat for our furry friends and may help keep them off the bunnie’s trail.

Every year, our household begins to dream of our Easter lamb around the time Lent starts.  Properly cooked lamb is healthy for our dogs, but we need to be mindful of the seasonings we use.  We use garlic t season our lamb.  Garlic in small doses is not harmful for dogs, but it can be toxic in large doses.  If possible, it may be a good idea to cut a small piece prior to seasoning and let it cook with the lamb.  If this is not possible, if a lot of garlic is visible on the lamb, it may be helpful to try to take some garlic off the ham before serving your dog.

We ALL do it.  Ham bones, lamb bones, bones, bones, bones.  That is what our dog REALLY wants, and it often is a great way to keep the dog baby occupied while the family enjoys some quiet time, especially if guests are in the home.  Serving a dog cooked bones is not recommended as the bone has lost most of its nutritional value during the cooking process and the cooked bone is softer and can splinter more easily.  The best bet is to  ask the butcher or local grocery store for any leftover uncooked bones.  If this is not possible, keep a close eye on your dog as he enjoys his bone and do not leave the bones with the dog overnight.

Green beans is another Easter favorite (usually with mushroom sauce and onions).  While green beans are a safe and healthy treat for dogs, the onions are like garlic and should try to be avoided.  

Green beans, on the other hand, are a great source of Vitamin K, C, and manganese.  In addition, green beans are a source of fiber.

Please make sure that while the unfurry babies are enjoying the Easter Bunnies gifts and candy, please make sure that your furry babies are not finding unsupervised baskets of candy and chocolate or rogue candies on the floor.  Chocolate can cause severe stomach upset for dogs and can be toxic.  Sugar is not healthy for dogs either and should be avoided.  Keep the dog’s treats to the healthy and safe variety this holiday.

While I have never attended a Passover dinner, I do know that brisket is a common delicacy on the table.  Brisket is a safe food for dogs, but like other meats, it should not be served raw to your pet.  

I have touched on a few basic holiday foods, but I mostly wanted to let everyone know that we can treat our dogs to a Holiday meal and be guilt free.  No need to hide from the doggie police after filling their bowls with some holiday treats!  Just please make sure that you make sure the foods you treat them with are safe.

Shania Bakes wishes everyone a safe and yummy holiday weekend!