Keep human food away from pets during Thanksgiving

We're getting ready for one of my favorite holidays. I love Thanksgiving. In fact, it might even be my favorite holiday besides Christmas.

It's such a great time to gather with family to enjoy food, fellowship and more food. The fellowship is nice, but the food is incredible. If my parents allowed me to eat Thanksgiving dinner, I would love turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and all the other delicacies served up this time of year. That is IF my parents let me join in their feast.

But that will never happen at my house for my siblings and me. Do you know why? It's not going to happen at my house because my parents know Thanksgiving can be hazardous for pets.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news and ruin it for all my furry friends out there, but I want to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy over the holiday. If we abide by one simple but painful rule, then everyone should be just fine.

Here's the painful rule: Do not give pets human food at Thanksgiving. I know that's difficult to do when you're looking in the face of your adorable fur child who's trying to convince you he's starving.

Take it from me. Pets are masters at begging, pleading and conning you into believing you really need to share whatever's on your plate. We know how to look pitiful, and we wrote the book on persistence. We won't stop begging. Trust me, I know. I'm a pro at this.

But the dangers of sharing your holiday meal with your pet far outweigh the enjoyment he will receive. In fact, if your pet indulges in the Thanksgiving meal eating fat-laden food, he could possibly develop pancreatitis, which can be serious and even fatal.

Another hazard for pets is having access to bones, particularly turkey bones. Please do not let your pet have bones from the table. Poultry bones, including turkey bones, tend to be hollow inside, and they can splinter in your pet's intestines.

I'm going to let you in on a little pet secret, too. If you don't let us eat from the Thanksgiving table, which you shouldn't, then we're going to look for the next best source of Thanksgiving food -- the trash can.

When it comes to scavenging, we are immensely resourceful. We know how to knock a trash can over, how to climb inside and how to tear a trash bag to shreds to explore its contents.

So a word of caution: Please empty the trash as soon as the meal is over to make sure no mishap occurs. Please don't leave it in the house where a sneaky little pet is just waiting for you to take your after-dinner nap.

The best way to keep your pets safe from food dangers and the stress of Thanksgiving guests is to put them in a quiet enclosed room away from the festivities. Pets tend to get upset when the household routine is different, so get them a new toy and sequester them in a safe room until the house settles down. Put a family member in charge of supervising the pets and making sure their needs are met throughout the day, but keep them away from the Thanksgiving action.

I wish you a very happy time with your family and friends as we give thanks for all our blessings. Please know I count the wonderful folks who read my column each week among my blessings. Happy Thanksgiving.

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This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 10:29 PM with the headline "Keep human food away from pets during Thanksgiving ."