Holiday Foods Dangerous to Pets
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, and summer cookout foods that send thousands of pets to emergency vets each year.
Thanksgiving Hazards
Turkey bones (cooked — always dangerous), onion and garlic in stuffing and gravy, rich fatty skin and trimmings (pancreatitis), raisin-containing dishes, and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows (sugar, nutmeg).
Halloween Dangers
Chocolate (theobromine), xylitol in sugar-free candy, raisins, and candy wrappers (obstruction). The week of Halloween is the busiest for animal poison control.
Summer BBQ Risks
Corn cobs (intestinal obstruction — one of the top ER surgeries in summer), grapes, guacamole (avocado + garlic + onion), alcohol in drinks, cooked bones, and foods with onion powder.
🚨 If your pet ate something dangerous
Call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: 888-426-4435 (24/7, consultation fee may apply) or your nearest emergency veterinary clinic immediately.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.