Why you shouldn't give your pets leftovers — especially on Thanksgiving

Though your pet may be wide-eyed and drooling to eat everything on the table this Thanksgiving, veterinarians urge that your cats and pups should avoid your holiday meal at all costs.

Kathy Ling, a community practice veterinarian with the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), said people should not give handouts to their pets this Thanksgiving because fatty foods can cause serious harm.

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"The main thing that I worry about with both dogs and cats is that if they're exposed to anything fatty from the table like chicken or turkey skin, gristle, fat, gravy, butter, those sorts of things, it can lead to pancreatitis," Ling said.

The disease can happen, in this case, when pets eat the fatty foods Ling mentioned as fat enters the bloodstream, she said, and can cause serious damage to internal organs. And in "severe cases" it can be fatal, Ling said.

"That's a really good reason there, at least, to not give them anything fatty from the table," she said.

Some vegetables may be OK for your pets to eat, Ling added, but it's best to steer clear from feeding animals leftovers altogether.

Go out and spend a little bit of time with your dog. They love it. That's their reason for being.— Mary McNiven

"If you really want to share with them and give them a little treat at the end of the meal, most vegetables are fine except onion," she said. "Onions can be toxic." In terms of fruit, grapes and raisins should not be given to animals either, she said.

When having people over for dinner, Ling said it's important to have a conversation with guests to make sure they aren't giving your animals leftovers. As well, if people are so inclined to give their pets a bit of food, a healthier alternative may be to keep treats nearby to give the pet.

'Spend a little bit of time with your dog'

Mary McNiven, who is a professor of animal science with the AVC, said although giving your pet food from the table is typically done to show them love, it's not a good way to show you care.

"We love our dogs and we're trying to show it in some way, and I guess my suggestion would be show it in a different way," she said.

"Take your dog for a walk, or give it a brush, or snuggle it, or play something with it … that lasts longer — the good feelings — than that gulp and the second it takes to eat that anyway and the diarrhea afterwards."

Even a small act like that, taking your dog in the backyard to play, means much more than a quick bite of food, McNiven said.

"Go out and spend a little bit of time with your dog. They love it. That's their reason for being," she said. "The food ... goes too quickly, it's not even the best way to show your love."

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