Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Being the foodie that I am, I love cooking and stuffing myself with excellent food, drinks, and desserts. Our family tends to gravitate towards my house for Thanksgiving, mostly because my husband and I are dog people. We don’t mind if the family brings their canine crew over to dinner. It’s not uncommon to have up to 8 dogs in our house on Thanksgiving, and it can be quite a zoo!

With that many dogs around, I like to send home Thanksgiving “doggie bags” filled with goodies for the pups (and other critters) to enjoy. After all, they are family too, right? Now I understand that our family is “special,” and not every person is going to tolerate their family members bringing their pets over for Thanksgiving. Even if the pets are not with them, why not send home a Thanksgiving treat for them to enjoy? Let’s go over some DIY thanksgiving “doggie bags” to make for your family to take back to the pets for Thanksgiving. 

Please NOTE: Some pets have very sensitive stomachs and people food might cause them to have some diarrhea or vomiting. Be careful when giving your pet people food as treats!

Doggie Do- NOT’s

Before we get into what foods are OK to send home for the pets, let’s go over what foods can be harmful if shared with our pets.

This is not an all-inclusive list; if you are unsure if something is safe to give to your pet, please see the ASPCA Animal Poison Control center website. It contains a searchable list of foods that are harmful to your pet. For the folks that love to have an “app for that” on their phones, ASPCA has an app you can download. There is also another great APP that just came out recently called VetProtect, which also has a searchable list of foods that are safe and unsafe for dogs and cats. Both are great resources!

Let’s Get to the Doggy DO’s!

Now that we have an idea of what NOT to send home for the pets let’s review some great ideas for items to put in your doggy bags. Please understand that every pet is different in how their bodies react to new foods, so please feed these foods in moderation to avoid upset tummies and diarrhea. These items are meant to be given as small treats, not a full meal.

If you would like to make some special treats for the pets on Thanksgiving, here are a few great ideas! (Plus, you can make them ahead of time!)

Whatever your plans are for Thanksgiving, I hope you take time to enjoy the company of your loved ones and your pets! Have a great Thanksgiving, from my furry family to yours!

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