Can My Dog Eat Holiday Food?

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The most wonderful time of the year brings gifts, visitors, and a smorgasbord of special foods. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or simply enjoy all the season’s delicacies, there’s no shortage of enticing dishes to mark the festivities.

These plates often pack tons of butter, sugar, salt, and other seasonings—which make them all the more delectable for us humans, but make sharing with our canine friends dangerous. Some holiday staples can put our best friends at risk of weight gain, inflammation, stomach upset, pancreatitis, and even death.

Of course your dog still can—nay, should—partake in your holiday merriment. It’s worth mentioning that you can include your dog in the festivities with new or favorite toys, extra playtime, and a post-prandial family walk. But if you can’t bear to feast without offering your pooch a morsel, understanding how to share safely is a must. Here’s what you need to know.

Watch out for toxic foods and overtreating

Some common ingredients in holiday foods make them entirely off limits to dogs. Onions, garlic, grapes, raisins, currants, and chocolate are all toxic to our best friends—so if your dog eats even a tiny amount of any of them, you should call the Pet Poison Helpline or your vet right away. All alcohol must also stay out of your dog’s reach, as must any sugar-free foods that contain the canine toxin xylitol.

Knowing your dog, and their stomach, is also key ahead of heavy meals. Make sure you’re privy to all their allergies so you don’t feed them something they can’t safely enjoy. Know how well your dog tolerates foods that deviate from what they eat day-to-day. 

“It’s always better not to suddenly feed [your dog] a lot of new things,” said Brian Collins, DVM, Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, with the Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center.

Treat in moderation. Consider adding any holiday goodies as toppers to their regular meal. And remember that treats and other extras should never make up any more than 10% of your dog’s total calorie intake.

Wondering about festive foods not listed in this article? Check out our guide to which Thanksgiving foods dogs can eat.

Can my dog eat ham?

No.

A succulent honey-glazed or smoked ham may embody the holiday season for some—but not for your dog. Tremendous amounts of salt and fat make this roast an unhealthy choice for them.

However, pork can be good for dogs, and is the protein in one of our fresh recipes.

Feed this instead: Unseasoned, lean, cooked turkey.

“Go with turkey over ham,” said Sam Bilko, DVM, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, a clinical assistant professor of emergency and critical care at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Another base ingredient in one of our fresh recipes, turkey is a low-fat source of protein and other essential nutrients like iron, phosphorus, and zinc.

Dr. Collins agreed: “If you have lean turkey, I’d probably do that.”

While turkey is a better choice for your dog than ham, you must still take care in preparing this treat. Roasted and deep-fried turkeys often involve loads of butter and salt, which can upset your dog’s stomach, as well as toxic onion and garlic, which can damage your pet’s red blood cells. The skin, especially in deep-fried turkeys, is quite fatty and can cause pancreatitis.

Once you’ve carved the turkey, you can give your dog a few bits of white breast meat without drippings, seasonings, or skin, minimizing exposure to stomach-upsetting risk factors. And keep bones away from your pooch—these can pose choking hazards, splinter into tiny shards, or obstruct the digestive tract if swallowed.

Can my dog eat roast beef?

Yes—small pieces of lean meat.

Juicy roast beef may be your holiday table’s centerpiece. While beef can be another healthy protein for dogs, what’s on your plate doesn’t always belong in their bowl. As with turkey, this dish’s fatty pieces and seasonings aren’t suitable for your dog, so part of an inner cut is better.

“Very small pieces of lean roast beef are okay just as a little treat,” Dr. Collins said.

And again, if your roast beef includes onions or garlic, keep it away from your dog.

Can my dog eat brisket?

Yes—a tiny, trimmed, unsauced piece.

Brisket—a.k.a. pot roast—is a saucy dish that simmers for hours in a gravy recipe that may call for sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Coca-Cola, or any number of other ingredients—plus veggies like carrots and toxic onions.

As with roast beef, sticking to a “very small piece,” as Dr. Bilko recommended, without sauce or fat is the way to go.

Can my dog eat gravy?

No.

Meat dishes tend to come with rich, salty, fatty gravy. This side could do a number on your dog’s stomach. “[Gravy] tends to be very fatty [and] could cause GI upset [or] pancreatitis,” Dr. Collins said.

Gravy’s salt content could also contribute to health problems. “Salt itself is not a toxin, but it can certainly create issues if [a dog eats] too much,” Dr. Bilko said.

Feed this instead: Low-sodium broth.

Store-bought or homemade stock or broth could add that savory splash for your dog. Chicken broth will be lower fat than beef broth, so that would be a healthier option. If you make chicken stock, make sure you strain out bones and excess fat.

Can my dog eat shellfish or fish?

No to shellfish, yes to some fish—carefully.

Some holiday spreads also boast fish and shellfish, like Italian and Italian-American Christmas Eve’s sumptuous Feast of the Seven Fishes. This tablescape may include whole baked and fried fish as well as shellfish like lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, clams, and oysters, plus calamari, octopus, and more. Avoid fried and buttery dishes because of their high fat and oil content, as well as shellfish for risk of allergic reactions, and raw delicacies like oysters because of potentially harmful bacteria. Hard shells and tails also pose choking hazards.

Fish like cod and salmon can be a healthy treat for dogs, packed with omega-3 fatty acids. If you do give your dog a piece of baked cod, make certain that it doesn’t have any fine bones, which could get stuck in their throat, Dr. Collins said. And avoid fried fish due to excess fat. If you’d like to share salmon with your dog, make sure it’s thoroughly cooked; dogs who eat undercooked salmon are vulnerable to a bacterial infection called “salmon poisoning.”

Can my dog eat lasagna?

No.

Another Italian holiday favorite, this hearty dish typically includes layered sheets of pasta, ricotta cheese or creamy bechamel sauce, and meaty ragu. But the likely inclusion of onions and garlic in the ragu, as well as the high fat content of the ricotta and bechamel, make this piled-high dish a health risk for your dog.

Feed this instead: Plain, cooked pasta.

A bit of pasta, sauce-free and pre-cheese, can be a safe low-calorie snack, Dr. Bilko said.

A Maltese with a red collar sits under a small, white, round table set with holiday food and a small, lit Christmas tree.

Can my dog eat cranberry sauce?

No.

Homemade or canned, cranberry sauce packs GI-upsetting amounts of sugar that may cause vomiting or diarrhea. And sugar-free cranberry sauce may be sweetened with a sugar substitute like xylitol, which is deadly to dogs. While cranberries themselves aren’t toxic to dogs, the additives that transform them into a beloved seasonal sauce are bad for our pets.

Feed this instead: A few fresh or dried cranberries.

Provided your dog enjoys their tart taste, plain cranberries—not sweetened Craisins—can be a good treat because of their antioxidants. Crushing up fresh berries will make them safer for your dog to swallow.

Can my dog eat mashed potatoes?

No.

Mashed potatoes contain much more than just boiled potato mash. Butter, milk, cream, salt, and other seasonings make this dish into the side humans know and love. But the excess fat and salt make it verboten to dogs.

Feed this instead: Plain, cooked potato.

Potatoes offer plenty of nutrients, like vitamins C and B6, folate, and potassium, so unseasoned potato mash could be a good treat for your dog. Still, they’re high in starch—so if you add a scoop on top of their regular dinner, keep it on the small side. After mashing your boiled potatoes, but before adding dairy and seasonings, set aside a small portion.

Can my dog eat potato latkes?

No.

Latkes, or potato pancakes, are a Hanukkah staple. But what makes them a Hanukkah treat is the fact that they’re fried in oil. “They tend to be fairly greasy,” Dr. Collins said.

So between their oil-sopped preparation and the key inclusion of onion, latkes aren’t safe or healthy for your dog.

Feed this instead: Plain, cooked potato. Set aside a potato to boil or bake for your dog to eat plain.

Can my dog eat sweet potato casserole and candied yams?

No.

Sweet potatoes may appear on your holiday table, but usually they’re zhuzhed up with brown sugar, butter, spices, and marshmallows. While candied yams, sweet potato casserole, and sweet potato pie can be delights for humans, they’re off-limits to dogs. In addition to the high-fat butter and GI-irritating sugar, spices like mace and nutmeg can be toxic.

“They can cause some pretty significant sickness, like GI problems—even seizures or hallucinations,” Dr. Collins said. In large amounts, these spices can even be fatal.

Feed this instead: Plain, cooked sweet potato.

A plain, baked sweet potato is the way to go. “Keep it pretty bland,” Dr. Collins said. He emphasized that sweet potatoes make great treats because they’re appealing on their own, no flavor additives needed. “Whatever I’m feeding the dog, I’d want them to eat it because of what it is—not what we’ve adulterated it with.”

Can my dog eat rolls and cornbread?

Yes—only when fully baked.

A bread basket containing dinner rolls or cornbread usually makes its way around a holiday table at some point. Fully baked, a little bit of these sides is fine for your dog.

But, regarding dinner rolls, bread dough contains yeast, which makes the dough rise. Bread dough can be toxic to dogs because, in their warm, moist stomach, it will continue to rise and ferment, producing bloat-causing gas and potentially obstructing their digestive tract. And the fermentation in the gut produces ethanol, which creates the risk of alcohol poisoning. So if you’re preparing dinner rolls, keep them firmly out of your dog’s reach until they’re fully baked.

Cornbread, however, doesn’t contain yeast. With a base of flour and cornmeal, it doesn’t pose the same threat in its unbaked form. Still, better to make sure your dog doesn’t consume any raw flour, which may contain bacteria like E. coli and salmonella.

“I would think a small amount [of cornbread] is fine,” Dr. Collins said, “as long as it’s thoroughly cooked.” Cornbread’s sugar content also means you should keep pieces for your dog small.

Can my dog eat collard greens?

Yes—plain and cooked.

On a Kwanzaa table, collards symbolize wealth and good fortune. This dish may involve hours of stewing in aromatics. So, depending on your preparation, consider setting aside some plain, cooked greens.

“Greens are great for dogs,” Dr. Collins said. But cooking them before feeding is essential, as fibrous roughage can be harder for your dog to digest. Also consider chopping and mixing cooked greens in with your dog’s  regular food. But don’t feed too much at risk of causing gas.

Can my dog eat black-eyed peas?

Yes—plain and cooked.

These legumes symbolize good luck and hope in a Kwanzaa feast, and also deliver protein, fiber, and vitamin K, which can be good for your dog. But if you incorporate black-eyed peas into a more complex, seasoned dish, set a little aside for your dog first.

A dog sniffs a turkey leg on the counter.

Can my dog eat okra?

Yes—plain and cooked.

Pods from okra plants may grace a holiday table, and they may be deep-fried after getting dredged in buttermilk and flour. Since anything fried puts dogs at risk for pancreatitis, save a few pods before frying, and steam or boil them instead. 

Can my dog eat fruit cobbler?

No.

Fruit cobbler, typically bursting with peaches or berries, is a sticky, comforting dessert bubbling in a warm, flaky crust. It also calls for loads of stomach-upsetting sugar, so it’s not right for your dog.

Feed this instead: Plain, cut fruit.

Save a sliver of peach or a few blueberries while you’re prepping as a treat for your pet. Make sure the peach pit is far out of reach so your dog doesn’t choke on it or ingest its potentially toxic seed. 

Can my dog eat fruitcake?

No.

Fruitcake may be the butt of many jokes come Christmas, but it can still do some serious damage to pets. Traditionally packed with toxic raisins and currants, as well as sugar, this is a dessert you must diligently keep away from your dog. Even the tiniest nibble could be dangerous. That goes for Italian panettone, too.

Feed this instead: Plain, cut fruit.

A little plain fruit is the superior doggy dessert. Just remove pits and cores, which can be a double threat as both toxic and choking hazards.

Can my dog eat candy canes?

No.

These sugar sticks are bad news for dogs’ teeth and bellies. Don’t stop at candy canes, though. “Avoid any candy,” Dr. Collins said.

Feed this instead: A dog-safe chew.

If you want your dog to have their own candy cane-esque experience, perhaps a good analog  would be a vet-approved chew. “I think that dogs a lot of the time are just excited to be getting anything,” Dr. Collins said. “They just want to be included.”

Can my dog eat gingerbread cookies?

No.

Small amounts of ginger itself can be safe for dogs—but cookies are full of sugar, and potentially coated with sugary icing or gumdrop buttons.

Feed this instead: Any healthier treat that’s safe for dogs.

Can my dog eat jelly donuts?

No.

Between its sugary exterior and super-sweet jelly filling, this Hanukkah confection is a big no-no for dogs. 

Feed this instead: A little bit of dinner roll with a blueberry.

If you vehemently believe that your dog is entitled to the full Hanukkah experience, you can build a miniature, dog-healthy, deconstructed jelly donut with some crumbs from a dinner roll and a few blueberries.

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