"Janet" wrote:
> 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.


Don't feed pets parts you yourself wouldn't eat. And animals are not
immune to poisoning from tainted food, make sure they're not fed food
that was left out of the fridge. And dogs and cats are not to be fed
onions or garlic or raisins... they're toxic.... be sure what is being
fed... no exotic seasonings, no excessively fatty parts like poultry
skin, adn no bones ever.. I feed my cats cooked beef, pork, poultry,
and vegetables along with their regular pet food... but I give them
the best of the choicest parts, not any scraps, they eat before me and
better than me... never a problem. If I couldn't afford to eat the
best they still would. There is no harm with giving cats and dogs
people food as a *suppliment* to their regular food.