It can be tempting to offer your dog Turkey Day leftovers. What canine, after all, wouldn’t love to wolf down a big, juicy chunk of fat-saturated skin clinging to a piece of succulent meat? Experts say a little bit of turkey (sans skin) is fine for your dog, so long as bones are not present. Just be aware that even a small change in diet can cause loose stools the next day, so keep table scraps to a minimum.
Linda McGlothlen of Sacramento has been preparing the following recipe for her dogs’ Thanksgiving meal for many years without ill effects. The well balanced dish can be added to regular kibble or served alone in small portions. You might want to skip it, however, if your dog is on a restricted-fat diet.
Ingredients
1T olive oil
1/4 pound chopped turkey
1 small carrot, grated or chopped
1/4 C green peas
1C unseasoned stuffing bread cubes
1/2T butter or margarine
1/2 T flour
2C Turkey or chicken broth.
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet, add turkey, cook about two minutes, then add chopped carrot and cook five minutes more. Add peas and put heat on low. Stir in bread cubes and remove from heat.
In another pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then add one cup of stock and stir until gravy thickens, about three minutes.
Soften the mixture in the first pan with the remaining cup of stock. Place in dog bowl alone or with kibble and let cool five minutes. Top with gravy, cool to room temperature and watch Fido lap it up.
