Thanksgiving Dog Safety: The Table, Triaged

The table, ranked by risk

• Turkey bones and carcass: cooked bones splinter; the trash-raided carcass is the classic ER visit.
• Fat: skin, drippings, gravy, the pancreatitis engine. Rich fatty meals are the #1 Thanksgiving vet visit driver.
• Stuffing: onion and garlic in quantity, often with raisins.
• Desserts: chocolate, raisins in baked goods, xylitol in 'sugar-free' pies, and nutmeg in quantity.
• Yeast rolls still rising: raw dough expands and ferments alcohol in the stomach.
• The relish tray sleeper: grapes.

What your dog CAN have from the table

Plain turkey meat (no skin, no bones), plain green beans, plain sweet potato, a spoon of plain pumpkin, and carrots, assembled before the seasoning happens. Making the dog a small plain plate is the single best way to stop six guests from improvising.

House rules that actually survive the holiday

• One announced rule for guests: nobody feeds the dog. There's a treat jar by the door if they must.
• Trash goes out (or behind a latched door) before the post-dinner lull.
• Assign the dog a person during carving and cleanup, the two highest-risk windows.