Can Dogs Eat Turkey? Thanksgiving Foods Dogs Can and Can’t Eat

My dog parks himself by the oven door every Thanksgiving, nose twitching, like somebody hired him as security. Can’t blame the guy, the house smells amazing. So, can dogs eat turkey? Yes, plain cooked turkey breast with no skin, no bones and no seasoning is fine for most healthy dogs in small amounts. The trouble is almost everything else on the Thanksgiving table, from the buttery skin to the onions hiding in the stuffing.

Here’s the quick answer before the long one:

Thanksgiving lands on Thursday, November 26 this year, so you’ve got a few weeks to plan your dog’s “plate” before the guests show up and start sneaking scraps under the table.

Can Dogs Eat Turkey? The Short Answer

Plain turkey is actually a pretty common protein in dog food, so the meat itself isn’t the problem. What makes holiday turkey risky is how we cook it. We rub it with butter, stuff it with onions and garlic, salt it heavily (hello, dry brine) and pour fatty gravy over everything.

So the rule I follow at home is simple. If I wouldn’t serve it to a toddler without scraping it off first, my dog doesn’t get it. A few thin pieces of white breast meat, pulled from the middle of the slice where there’s no seasoning, are fine. The crispy skin, the dark meat swimming in drippings and the bones stay far away.

For what it’s worth, the American Animal Hospital Association lists plain, cooked white turkey meat with no bones, skin or seasoning as one of the safer treats you can share. That’s basically the same advice your vet will give you.

How Much Turkey Can a Dog Eat?

Less than you think. Treats, holiday ones included, should only be a small part of what your dog eats in a day, and a lot of vets use a rough “about 10% of daily calories” guideline for all treats combined. Last year my uncle, my cousin and my sister were all “secretly” feeding him under the table, so yeah, it adds up quick.

Here’s roughly what I aim for, based on size:

Got a dog with a touchy stomach, one who’s had pancreatitis before, or one on a prescription diet? I’d just skip the turkey, or ask your vet. And for a dog who’s never tried turkey, give a bite or two first and see how things go the next morning.

Thanksgiving Foods Dogs Can Eat

Good news, your dog doesn’t have to just watch. A handful of Thanksgiving foods are perfectly fine, as long as you set some aside before the butter, sugar and spices go in.

• Plain turkey breast: boneless, skinless, unseasoned.
• Green beans: plain, steamed or raw, not the casserole with fried onions on top.
• Carrots: raw or cooked, no glaze.
• Plain pumpkin: plain canned pumpkin puree, not pie filling (we have a whole guide on how much pumpkin dogs can eat).
• Sweet potato: a little plain, cooked sweet potato, no marshmallows, no brown sugar.
• Apple slices: no core or seeds.
• Plain rice or plain potato: cooked, unsalted, unbuttered.

My trick: before I season anything, I scoop a spoonful of plain green beans, a few carrot coins and a little plain sweet potato into a small bowl and set it aside. Then I don’t have to think about it at dinner.

Thanksgiving Foods That Are Dangerous for Dogs

This is the part worth printing out and sticking on the fridge for your guests. A couple of them just mean an upset tummy. A few are way worse than that.

Onions and garlic get me every year. They’re in the stuffing, the gravy, the green bean casserole, sometimes even Grandma’s mashed potatoes. Doesn’t matter if it’s powder, fresh, raw or cooked. Nope.

Xylitol deserves its own warning. It’s a sweetener in some sugar-free pies, gum, candy and even certain peanut butters, sometimes listed as “birch sugar.” According to the FDA, a dog’s blood sugar can drop within 10 to 60 minutes of eating it, so this one means heading straight to the vet, not waiting it out.

Chocolate desserts are another classic holiday problem. The darker and more bitter the chocolate, the more theobromine it has, and the less it takes to make a dog sick.

Why Turkey Skin and Fat Are a Problem

I used to think a little skin was harmless. It’s just turkey, right? But the skin is where all the fat, butter and seasoning end up, and a sudden load of rich, fatty food is one of the classic triggers for pancreatitis in dogs.

My friend’s beagle got pancreatitis two days after Christmas once, from ham fat, and he spent three nights at the emergency vet. It’s an inflamed pancreas, and sometimes it’s a rough few days of throwing up, sometimes it’s an IV drip. Vets say December and late November are busy for this, no surprise. Smaller breeds and dogs that have had it before seem to be more at risk.

So the drippings you’re saving for gravy, the crispy skin everybody fights over and the fatty bits from the bottom of the roasting pan all stay on the human side of the table.

What to Do If Your Dog Ate Turkey Bones

It happens. A plate gets left on the coffee table, someone turns around for one second, and the drumstick is gone. Deep breath. Don’t go grabbing the hydrogen peroxide on your own, either. A pointy bone coming back up the throat can hurt just as much as going down, so call first.

• Call your vet or an emergency clinic and tell them what was eaten, roughly how much and when.
• Keep an eye on your dog for the next couple of days. Watch for vomiting, trouble pooping, a tender or bloated belly, blood in the stool, or a dog that just isn’t acting like themselves.
• Don’t give extra food or treats unless your vet suggests it.

If your dog does start vomiting afterward, we wrote up why your dog is throwing up with the red flags that mean go now, not tomorrow.

Signs Your Dog Ate Something Bad

Some problems show up within an hour. Others take a day or two to appear, which is why it helps to know what you’re watching for, especially the Friday after Thanksgiving.

• Vomiting or retching, especially more than once
• Diarrhea or straining to poop (here’s what to do about dog diarrhea)
• A hunched back or a “praying” position, which can mean belly pain
• Drooling, restlessness or pacing
• Weakness, wobbliness, tremors or seizures
• Pale gums or unusual tiredness

Think your dog got into something toxic? Don’t wait and see. I’ve got two numbers saved in my phone: the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, (888) 426-4435, open 24/7, and the Pet Poison Helpline, (855) 764-7661. Heads up, they usually charge a fee. Worth it though, they’ll tell you pretty quick if you need to drive in or just keep an eye on things.

A Dog-Friendly Thanksgiving Plate

If you want your dog to feel included (I always do), build them their own little plate before dinner starts. It keeps them happy and makes it way easier to tell guests “no thanks, he already ate.”

Mine’s a medium-size mutt, so his “plate” is a couple tablespoons of plain shredded breast meat, a spoon of plain green beans, some carrot coins and a teaspoon of pumpkin puree. I stir that into a smaller-than-usual scoop of his regular food, so he’s not getting a whole extra meal on top.

Another thing that saves my sanity: a chew toy packed with plain pumpkin, frozen the night before. He works on it for a good thirty minutes while we eat, and nobody has a nose on their lap.

How to Keep Your Dog Safe on Thanksgiving Day

Most holiday vet visits aren’t because someone fed their dog on purpose. It’s the dog who jumped on the counter, the trash can nobody closed, the guest nobody told. Ten minutes of prep fixes most of it.

• Tell guests the plan when they arrive. A short note on the counter works great.
• Keep the trash behind a closed door or in a locking can. Turkey carcasses and strings soaked in drippings are irresistible.
• Don’t leave plates on low tables, and clear dishes as soon as people finish.
• Watch the door. With people coming and going, dogs slip out. Make sure their ID tag and microchip info are up to date.
• Give anxious dogs a quiet room with a bed, water and something to chew.

Cooking for a crowd also means a lot of foil, string and corn cobs in the kitchen. Puppies eat all of it, trust me. Our holiday pet safety guide has more on that.

Can Dogs Eat Turkey? FAQ

Can dogs eat turkey skin?

Sorry, buddy, no. All the butter and salt and fat sits right there in the skin, and that’s a lot of grease for a dog’s belly at once. Pancreatitis risk, too. I peel it off before anything goes in the dog bowl.

Can dogs eat turkey bones?

Nope, not even the little wishbone. Cooked bird bones splinter like toothpicks, and those pieces can get stuck in the throat or poke the gut. If yours swipes one, call the vet and ask what to watch for.

Can dogs eat ground turkey?

Plain ground turkey is fine, as long as it’s cooked through with no onion, garlic or taco seasoning. Lean is better. I usually brown a small batch in its own pan, drain it, wait for it to cool, and he gets a spoonful on top of dinner.

Can dogs eat turkey gravy or stuffing?

I’d pass on both. Gravy is basically fat and salt, and gravy and stuffing almost always have onion or garlic in them, which dogs shouldn’t have. Some stuffings sneak in raisins or nuts too. Plain turkey is the safer treat.

Can dogs eat mashed potatoes?

A spoon of plain potato, mashed with nothing added, won’t hurt most dogs. The holiday version with butter, cream and garlic is another story, so if you want to share, scoop some out before you doctor up the pot.

Can dogs eat cranberry sauce?

A couple of plain fresh cranberries are generally okay. The sauce though is mostly sugar, and homemade versions sometimes have grapes, raisins or a splash of booze. I just leave it off his plate.

One last thing from my own kitchen: I keep a sticky note on the cabinet with my vet’s after-hours number and the poison control lines. Hopefully you’ll never need it, but on a busy holiday, not having to search for it is worth a lot.

If this helped, save it to your Pinterest board so it’s handy the week of Thanksgiving, and share it with whoever is hosting this year. I’d love to hear in the comments what goes on your dog’s holiday plate.