Turkey is one of the most popular meat choices for dog lovers looking to convert their dog to an all-natural diet. With that said, while you can definitely feed your dog turkey, make sure that it doesn’t come from your dinner plate.
Turkey is a great type of meat for dogs. It’s packed with protein and nutrients, has a high level of vitamins A, E, and B, and can help promote good health in dogs.
On top of that, it’s both accessible and affordable. Additionally, dogs love the taste and texture of turkey, which makes it very easy to introduce it to their diet.
However, you can’t just start feeding your dog turkey without preparing it. Of course, raw turkey should be fine for your dog if they’re used to eating raw meat. But if you want to prepare and cook the meat first, you have to know a couple of things.
In this article, we’re going to go over why you shouldn’t feed your dog turkey from your plate, the ideal way to feed your dog turkey, and some of the benefits turkeys can offer your pooch.
Can I Give My Dog My Leftover Turkey?
The resounding answer is no. Pet enthusiasts, nutritionists, and vets alike agree that giving your dog leftover Thanksgiving dinner turkey is a bad idea. This is because there are tons of ingredients that go into a dinner turkey that could be harmful to your dog.
Let’s start with the basics: fat and salt. Turkey cooked for humans has a lot of salt and fat to give it more flavor. This is something we love. And while your dog may love the taste as well, fat and salt are very bad for them, and it takes a much smaller amount of fat and salt to affect their health compared to humans.
From there, tons of ingredients can be harmful to your dog. For example, if you have onions and garlic in your turkey recipe, then you should definitely keep it away from your dog. Onions and garlic contain thiosulfate, which is very harmful to your dog and can cause long-term health problems.
And if your turkey has stuffing, it gets even worse. There are many ingredients in traditional stuffing that are harmful to dogs. And while a bite or two won’t hurt, feeding them a whole plate can lead to a bunch of issues down the line.
So, to stay on the safe side, we recommend keeping the dog food for dogs and human food for humans. That way, both you and your pet eat the tastiest and healthiest meals possible, ensuring that you two live a long life together!
How Should I Feed My Dog Turkey?
You can feed freshly prepared turkey to your dog. Most dogs have stomachs adapted to raw meat, so you won’t even have to cook the turkey before feeding it to them. With that said, if you really want to play it safe, then there are many ways you can cook turkey for your dog.
You can cook the turkey on its own or even mix in a couple of healthy vegetables there too. That way, your dog has a full, well-balanced meal packed with nutrients. And if your dog’s a picky eater, mixing in a few vegetables is a great way to get them to eat the food.
With that said, one thing to always remember is that you want to keep the food as plain as possible. While you may want to add salt to suit your tastes, remember that you’re cooking turkey for a dog. So, they don’t have the same palette as yours and won’t require as much salt.
What Are the Benefits of Turkey for Dogs?
Turkey offers tons of benefits for dogs. One of the most important of these benefits might just be protein. Turkey is a natural source of high-quality protein that your dog’s body needs. On top of that, it has a bunch of vitamins and nutrients that can supplement their health.
While it isn’t a superfood, turkey can be a mainstay in your dog’s diet. It covers so many bases and is also affordable. You can even find commercialized kibble with turkey in it if you aren’t keen on cooking it yourself.
However, for your dog to reap all the health benefits, make sure they’re eating plain turkey. The more spices and other ingredients you add, the less healthy it is. So, while it’s fine to toss in a couple of vegetables in the mix, make sure that your dog’s turkey meal is different from the one on your dinner plate.
Conclusion
If you have some leftover turkey from dinner, do not give it to your dog. While it doesn’t hurt to offer them a bite or two if they’re being cute, a whole turkey dinner can be very unhealthy for dogs.
Instead, we recommend cooking your dog a separate turkey dinner with healthy ingredients tailored to their needs.
