Holiday & BBQ Foods for Dogs: What's Safe and What to Skip

Holidays and cookouts are peak begging season. Those puppy eyes work hard when the table's full but some festive favorites are a hard no for dogs. Before the plates start piling up, here's your simple share-or-skip guide so your co-pilot can join the fun without a midnight vet trip.

Foods That Are Generally Fine to Share (Plain & In Moderation)

Kept plain no butter, oil, salt, seasoning, or sauces these are usually fine as an occasional bite:

• Plain turkey or chicken (boneless, skinless, unseasoned)
• Green beans (plain, cooked or raw)
• Carrots (raw or cooked)
• Plain sweet potato or pumpkin (no sugar or spice)
• Apple slices (no seeds or core)
• Blueberries and watermelon (seedless)

Keep portions small treats and table scraps together should stay around 10% of daily calories.

Foods to Keep Far Away From Your Dog

These are common at gatherings and range from "upsets their stomach" to genuinely dangerous. The ASPCA and AKC keep detailed lists, but the big ones to memorize:

• Chocolate and anything with xylitol (a sweetener in gum, candy, some peanut butters)
• Grapes and raisins (can cause kidney failure)
• Onions, garlic, chives, leeks (damage red blood cells)
• Cooked bones (splinter never give turkey or chicken bones)
• Seasoned stuffing, gravy, and fatty trimmings (salt, spices, and fat can trigger GI upset or pancreatitis)
• Alcohol, coffee, and macadamia nuts

Why Fatty and Seasoned Foods Are Sneaky Dangerous

Even plain proteins become risky when they're loaded with butter, oil, or seasoning. A sudden hit of rich, fatty food can trigger pancreatitis a painful, sometimes serious inflammation of the pancreas that spikes around holidays. Keeping it plain isn't just picky; it's protective.

Thanksgiving dog treats: what to share, what to skip, and what to hand over instead

Thanksgiving is the big one. More dishes, more guests, more hands under the table. Here is the short version for the day itself.

Fine in small, plain amounts

• Plain turkey meat (no skin, no bones, no seasoning, a bite or two)
• Green beans, carrots, and sweet potato (pulled before the butter, salt, and marshmallows go on)
• A spoon of plain pumpkin (the one-ingredient canned kind, not pie filling)

Skip these, every time

• Cooked turkey bones (they splinter)
• Onion and garlic in any form, which rules out most gravy and mashed potatoes
• Stuffing (bread, butter, onion, sausage, and seasoning; nothing in there is for dogs)
• Fatty turkey skin and drippings (the pancreatitis risk covered above)
• Raisins and grapesso no fruit salad and no oatmeal raisin cookies
• Anything sugar-free (xylitol turns up in sugar-free desserts, gum, and some peanut butters)

That is the common veterinary guidance, and it matches the ASPCA and AKC lists linked above. If you are not sure what went into a dish, the answer is no.

Hand them this instead

Give your co-pilot a bowl of their own while the plates go around. These are single ingredient and freeze-dried in our Chester County, Pennsylvania kitchen, so nothing here needs a fridge or a label check.

• Freeze-Dried Beef Heart. One ingredient, beef heart. Lean, chewy, and the mildest of our organ treats, which makes it the easy pick for a dog who has never had one. Serve it whole or break it into bite-sized rewards.
• Beef Trio. A 3 oz bag of beef liver, a 2 oz bag of beef tripe, and a 3 oz bag of beef heart, each a single ingredient. Three textures and three smells off the same animal, so a dog who shrugs at one usually mugs you for another.
• Cheddar Cheese Bites. One ingredient, cheddar. Small enough to hand out one at a time every time the dog leaves the table alone.

All three sit in our Thanksgiving dog treats collectionand the full lineup lives in the freeze-dried dog treats collection. Treats from our kitchen ship within one business day, and orders over $50 ship free.

If the dog needs a job while the turkey rests, American Dog makes two Thanksgiving toys: the Lucky Dog Turkey Tail Tuga squeakerless fan-shaped tug in maroon and gold, and the Rainbow Turkletona squeaky oval fetch toy that floats and comes in three sizes. Both are handmade in the USA by American Dog, our Denver partner brand, and ship separately from American Dog.

The Easy Move: Bring Their Own Treats

The simplest way to include your dog without the risk? Hand them their own holiday snack. Single-ingredient freeze-dried treats like our beef liver or a festive Pup-Ornaut treat let your pup feel like part of the party with zero guesswork. Keep a stash in your bag so guests aren't tempted to "just give one bite" of something they shouldn't.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can dogs eat turkey?

Plain, boneless, skinless, unseasoned turkey is generally fine in small amounts. Skip the skin, bones, gravy, and seasoning.

My dog ate something on the toxic list. What now?

Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) right away. Don't wait for symptoms.

Are bones ever a good choice?

Cooked bones are never a good choice, they splinter. Stick to appropriate commercial chews instead.

How much people-food is okay?

Very little. Treats and scraps together should stay around 10% of daily calories to avoid tummy trouble and weight gain.

Celebrate With Your Co-Pilot

Keeping it simple keeps the risk down. Share the plain, skip the risky, and let your dog enjoy their own treats made just for them. Stock up before the next gathering with the dog collection or a grab-and-go Sample Pack happy snacking and happy tails.

This is general information, not veterinary advice. When in doubt, call your vet.

Sources: ASPCA, People Foods to Avoid; AKC, Foods Dogs Should Never Eat