Kathleen wrote:
> Every Thanksgiving my vets sees a rash of cases of pancreatitis among
> dogs. Owners with only the best intentions allow the dog to share in
> the feast by allowing Fido to gorge on a pile of fatty turkey scraps,
> possible doused in gravy (still more fat).
>
> The pancreas attempts to cope with the overload by releasing a surge
> of digestive enzymes, causing the pancreas to become inflamed. Symptoms
> are abdominal pain, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea,
> fever, a crouched, hunched up posture, dehydration, and in the later
> stages, irregular heart beat, sepsis, and if left untreated, death.
>
> A few bites of lean meat won't do your dog any harm, but make sure any
> guest you may have know not to feed scraps to the dog, and make sure
> leftovers meant to be discarded are bagged up and taken to an outside
> trash container with a dog-proof lid. A trip to the emergency clinic
> will take a lot of the fun out the long weekend.

Or better yet put the left-overs in the freezer and dole them out in small
bits to your dog as training treats over weeks. Waste not, want not.