Holiday Foods that can Harm Your Dog

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and that means parties and get-togethers with friends and family that comes with a wide variety of food and drinks. The season of eating and drinking is not confined to just us humans, as we always like sharing our blessings with our pets. With all the delicious smelling food dished out, our dogs will definitely take a peek and wonder if they, too, can be jolly.

However, you need to be careful what you give them. What may be just extra pounds for us may be more harmful to our canine pals. Certain foods can cause health problems, ranging from the not so harmful, but irritating to the very harmful or even fatal. Here are some holiday treats you should avoid giving your dogs.

Chocolates and Other Sweets

Sweets, in general, are a no-no for dogs, and for most other non-humans for that matter. The high sugar and fat content in most processed sweet delicacies is enough to make them really hyperactive. To give you an idea of how potent sweets are for dogs, giving a dog a regular cookie manufactured for human consumption is equivalent to feeding a dog a whole hamburger sandwich.

Giving them chocolates is even worse. Aside from the sugar and fat content, the active ingredients include caffeine and theobromine. These have bad effects on a dog’s hormonal and neurological functions and may cause vomiting, seizures, coma and even death.


You might be thinking “Even turkey?”. Sadly, yes, mainly because of the high fat content of turkey meat, which can cause your dogs to get a major stomachache. Aside from the fatty meat, the bones can also be cause for alarm. Cooked poultry bones are small and brittle. This could splinter and produce sharp endings that could cause injury starting with your dog’s mouth all the way to their gut. These bones can also get lodged in their mouth or throat. Make sure to keep them away from turkey and chicken bones.


Certain nuts, such as macadamia, may cause dogs to become weak, lethargic and, in worse cases, lead to collapse. In general, nuts also pose a choking hazard to dogs as most are hard and small.


Most pet owners are not aware that avocados can be very harmful to dogs, even in small amounts. This is because most owners will probably not feed them the fruit itself in the first place. However, many dips such as guacamole have avocado as an ingredient, so it is best to keep them away from dips altogether.

Grapes and Raisins in Fruitcakes

Fruitcakes usually have quite a bit of raisins in them, and they are usually delicious. However, grape or raisin toxicosis in dogs is a thing, and most people are not aware of this. A dog that eats grapes or their dried version raisins, may induce vomiting or diarrhea, which in turn can cause severe dehydration. If you have any fruit cake left over from past celebrations, make sure you keep your furry friends away from it.  

Alcoholic Drinks

It is obviously a bad idea to give our dogs alcohol, but many owners can’t resist.  However, as most dogs are usually half our size, giving them even just a sip of any alcoholic drink could be problematic. Aside from this, many holiday cakes are soaked in alcohol as well. A single bite may have enough alcoholic content to have a very bad effect on your dog.


This seemingly harmless spice that we put in many desserts and holiday drinks such as eggnog actually contains a small amount of cyanide. Unfortunately, this is not a small amount for our dogs and may cause seizures if taken.

Eating in moderation during the holidays (and most times for that matter) benefits both owners and dogs. When in doubt if something is good or bad for your dog, its best to play it safe and give them vet-approved treats. This way, we keep the holidays fun and merry for everyone.