Most dogs would love to tuck into turkey and all the trimmings on Christmas Day. But before you fill your dog’s bowl with stuffing and pigs in blankets, it’s important to find out which Christmas foods dogs can eat safely – and which seasonal foods are poisonous and so should be avoided.
Petplan Vet, Brian Faulkner, shares his tips on dog-friendly food during the festive season. ‘Dogs taste food in a similar way to humans, picking up sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami (savoury, meaty) flavours,’ he says. ‘Their noses are super-sensitive, and at Christmas there’s a mind-blowing olfactory experience going on for them!
‘As a rule, however, savoury foods are better for dogs than sweet ones, which contain unhealthy sugars,’ he says. ‘Above all, your dog should continue to have a healthy, balanced diet – even though we humans may be indulging in some decadent treats.’
Here are some parts of our Christmas dinner that dogs can eat – and other festive foods that are fine to share with our four-legged friends.