Thanksgiving is built around the table — and if your dog is anything like ours, they'll be parked right next to it, doing their most convincing "I haven't eaten in weeks" face. The good news: plenty of Thanksgiving staples are perfectly fine for dogs in small amounts, and you can absolutely build them their own little plate. The bad news: a few holiday classics are genuinely dangerous.
Here's the full breakdown, so you can share the feast without an emergency vet visit.
The quick answer
Safe in small amounts (plain and unseasoned): turkey meat (no skin, no bones), pumpkin purée, sweet potato, green beans, carrots, peas, apple slices, plain cranberries.
Skip it: turkey bones and skin, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes loaded with butter, casseroles, ham, cranberry sauce, and all desserts.
Never, ever: onions, garlic, grapes and raisins, chocolate, xylitol, alcohol, macadamia nuts, nutmeg, and raw bread dough.
Safe Thanksgiving foods for dogs
Turkey meat. Plain, cooked, skinless, boneless turkey is a great source of lean protein. White meat is best. Keep it unseasoned — no brine-heavy, butter-basted skin, and absolutely no bones (more on that below).
Pumpkin purée. Plain canned pumpkin (the ingredient list should say just "pumpkin") is wonderful for dogs — it's full of fiber and supports digestion. This is not the same as pumpkin pie filling, which is sweetened and spiced. A spoonful or two is plenty.
Sweet potatoes. Cooked plain — baked, boiled, or steamed — and served without butter, sugar, or marshmallows. Naturally sweet, so most dogs love them.
Green beans. Fresh, frozen, or cooked plain green beans are a crunchy, low-calorie favorite. Just not green bean casserole (see below).
Carrots and peas. Both are safe raw or cooked, plain. Carrots make a great crunchy distraction while everyone else eats.
Apples. A few slices are a sweet, crunchy treat — just remove the core and seeds first.
Cranberries. Fresh or dried cranberries in tiny amounts are safe, though most dogs find them too tart to bother with. Cranberry sauce is a different story — it's mostly sugar, so skip it.
Foods to keep off your dog's plate
Turkey bones and skin. This is the big one. Cooked bones splinter and can cause choking, a blocked digestive tract, or internal tears. The skin is fatty and usually loaded with butter, salt, and seasonings — a fast track to an upset stomach or pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas that fatty holiday foods are notorious for triggering.
Stuffing and dressing. Almost always made with onions and garlic, which damage a dog's red blood cells and can cause anemia. Even a little isn't worth the risk.
Gravy. Fatty, salty, and often made with onion and garlic drippings. Hard no.
Green bean casserole and other casseroles. The vegetables inside might be fine, but the creamy sauces, fried onions, butter, and salt on top are not.
Mashed potatoes. Plain potato is okay in small amounts, but Thanksgiving mashed potatoes come with butter, cream, salt, and sometimes garlic. If you want to share, set aside a spoonful of plain cooked potato before the good stuff goes in.
Ham. Extremely salty and fatty. A tiny taste won't poison your dog, but it's one of the worst "just one bite" candidates — skip it.
Desserts. Chocolate is toxic to dogs, full stop. Beyond that, holiday baking hides two quieter dangers: xylitol (also listed as "birch sugar"), a sweetener in sugar-free gum, candies, and some baked goods that's extremely toxic even in small amounts, and nutmeg, used in pumpkin pie spice, which is harmful in quantity. Pumpkin pie itself is a no — sugar, spices, and a buttery crust.
Grapes and raisins. Sometimes hiding in salads, stuffing, and desserts. They can cause kidney failure in dogs, and there's no known "safe" amount. Keep them well away.
Alcohol and raw yeast dough. Both produce ethanol in a dog's system. An unattended glass of wine or a bowl of rising dough is a real hazard, not a funny story.
Build your dog their own Thanksgiving plate
The safest way to include your dog is a small plate of the plain versions, made before the butter and seasoning fly:
- A few spoonfuls of shredded plain turkey (white meat, no skin)
- A spoonful of pumpkin purée
- A small handful of steamed green beans or carrots
- A spoonful of plain cooked sweet potato
Keep the whole plate to roughly 10% of what your dog normally eats in a day — holiday extras are treats, not a second dinner. Introduce just a little at a time, especially if your dog has a sensitive stomach.
Keeping your dog out of trouble during dinner
- Feed them first. A dog who's already eaten is a calmer beggar.
- Give them a job. A frozen stuffed Kong or a lick mat in their favorite spot beats hovering under the table.
- Brief your guests. One "no feeding the dog, no exceptions" announcement prevents a dozen well-meaning bites of stuffing.
- Secure the trash. Turkey carcasses in an open bin are the #1 post-dinner emergency. Use a locking lid or take the bag straight outside.
- Watch the door. Guests coming and going means chances to slip out. A leash, a baby gate, or a quiet room with a chew keeps everyone relaxed.
If your dog eats something they shouldn't
Call your veterinarian right away — or, if they're closed, an emergency vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a consultation fee may apply). Don't wait for symptoms if you know they ate something toxic, and don't induce vomiting unless a vet tells you to.
Signs to take seriously: vomiting or diarrhea, drooling, loss of appetite, lethargy, wobbliness, tremors, or a painful, hunched belly.
Dressed for dinner
If your pup is joining the table (figuratively), they might as well look the part. Our Thanksgiving bandana collection is made for exactly this photo opportunity — turkey day looks, zero cooking required. Just maybe take the picture before the plate, not after.
Happy Thanksgiving from our pack to yours. 🦃
Quick FAQs
Can dogs eat turkey on Thanksgiving?
Yes — plain, cooked, skinless, boneless turkey meat in small amounts is safe and nutritious. No skin, no bones, no gravy.
Can dogs eat pumpkin pie?
No. Pumpkin pie contains sugar, nutmeg and other spices, and butter. Plain pumpkin purée, on the other hand, is great for dogs.
Can dogs eat cranberry sauce?
No — it's mostly sugar. A few fresh cranberries are safe, but most dogs find them too tart anyway.
What Thanksgiving food is most dangerous for dogs?
Cooked turkey bones (splintering) and anything made with onions or garlic, like stuffing, top the list — followed by chocolate, xylitol, grapes, and raisins.