How to keep your pets safe over Thanksgiving

Well it's Thanksgiving which means people are probably enjoying a nice feast right now, a feast that the pets usually get a taste of but you may want to think twice before giving them some of it.

We all do it. We think we're doing our pets a favor, just a bite or two of our delicious home cooked meal. But what many don't know is that it can actually be harmful to the pet, especially around Thanksgiving. 

Dr. Michael Peters, a veterinarian at Johnson McKee Animal Hospital in Salisbury says every year people come in after their dog or cat gets sick.

"The biggest issues we see are pets who essentially get their own Thanksgiving plate and it includes a platter full of everything that we have on the table and that's a bad idea because that can upset their stomach terribly." 

He says that's because pets shouldn't stray from their normal diet. 

"So fast changes are bad you shouldn't all of a sudden give a dog a really fatty heavy meal so no turkey gravy no mashed potatoes those types of things. A little bit of white meat from the turkey isn't going to hurt anybody veggies as long as they're not cooked in fat laden things," Peters said.

And we're not just talking about dogs, Peters says cats can also get sick. So Peters advice, keep an extra eye out on the countertops even trashcans. 

"Cats love turkey and like a said a little bit of white meat isn't going to hurt much but if they get into a whole carcus it could be catastrophic so those things need to be watched," Peters adds. "They'll steal things off the counter I mean my personal dog you cant turn your back on her when you've got a chicken carcus or the turkey carcus on the counter cause she'll have it off there in a heartbeat."