Turkey is a No No
 

I just wanted to share some info. that my friend's vet told her about.

The vet had a real bad Thanksgiving (a few days later). Apparently, he told my friend that dog owners are killing their dogs with kindness. They fed their dogs
(any dog) turkey leftovers.

Turkey is toxic to dogs and attacks the pancreas, creating pancreatitis.

Please do not feed your dog(s) turkey.

I learned something new.

Kate

That stinks. . Maizee had a couple pieces of Turkey for Thanksgiving. . guess she won't be having any next year!

You know what a good rule of thumb to follow for yourself and for your dog is?

"Everything in moderation"

With that can come risks, but something is going to get you in the end.
Giving your dog Turkey meat isn't the end of the world. It's best to understand WHY it's bad to give something to your dog, not just hear that it is and stress. ANY food that is cooked and high in fat can cause greater harm to our little ones when less is given to them because it causes more demand on the pancreas and can lead to pancreatitis. No fun.
SO, knowing that, you decide just how much table scraps you're willing to give your dog. And it's not just "Turkey" that's the culprit here. A LOT of what is mentioned here on this thread has to do w/ how it's cooked. Please keep that in mind.
My dogs and cats will forever get a touch of giblet gravy on their kibble at Thanksgiving and a little of the meat as well. I cook some seperate ground turkey meat for them that is very lean that I've cooked in a skillet and drained the fat off of. No more dangerous than giving them chicken; beef or ostrich, all of which they've had.

Please be careful in posting things like this. And no, this isn't directed at the original poster only. It's better to post it at all than not I believe, but that also has it's risks and unneccessarily can scare and misinform owners.
It's the WHY's that matter most.

OMG I gave Rocky turkey!:(

He was OK. He sat on my lap and I fed him a couple little bites of my food. I will know that next time NO turkey! Thanks for the warning. I'm so glad my baby was O.K

Thanks for your reply.

I only posted this as it was info. given to my friend when her dog got so sick.
I also found articles on the internet that said turkey is very toxic to dogs.

My vet advised me to never feed Sadie table scraps. I never do, but I have no idea what prompted me to feed her turkey. Like the vet said, "We sometimes kill our animals with kindness".

Kate

Don't feel bad. I never ever feed Sadie people food, but I gave her a tiny bit of turkey as well. My girlfriend's dog almost died of it, and this is when I found out about how toxic turkey is to animals.

Apparently, we lucked out. It is not toxic to all animals, as some can tolerate it. It just is not a healthy and good thing to do.

You can read about it on the internet.

Kate

Kate- you're absolutely RIGHT

Turkey *can* be toxic to dogs, but again, only for the reason posted above. And it's not ALL turkey. It really depends on how it's been cooked.

I just want you and others out there to know this. Please ask your vet and if he knows "why" turkey isn't good for your pet, and I'm sure he does, then you'll find that he'll tell you the same thing as I just did.

So for me, I give my dogs turkey. I just watch how it's prepared. You see turkey meat in dog food all the time w/ no concerns, wonder why this is? It's because it's how it's prepared.

You are so right. There is turkey in dog food. I searched several web pages and some say it is toxic, and others don't. Here is one blurb I found:

Turkey has a compound in it that isn't good for dogs, cooked or uncooked. Especially dark meat. Chicken is fine though.
Raisins and grapes are also harmful, they can shut down a dog's liver or kidneys if they are eaten in large amounts or small amounts over time.

So, I am totally confused, and need to check further.

I apologize if I posted anything that is not true.

Kate - Who need to do some more research

Kate,
NO, you're not posting anything that isn't true. It's just not the entire truth.

By all means, your points are valid. Turkey CAN be toxic to a dogs pancreas.
But there's more to it than that.

I gave my dogs a little bit of turkey at Thanksgiving

My little hounds ate more turkey than I . But I hardly ate any so they still didn't get much and it was only white meat.

I posted the exact same thing around Thanksgiving and got the same response from a few individuals. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59248

Well, if everything is in moderation, then I guess a couple of Chocolate chips won't hurt dogs either. Wasn't that the topic of discussion last year.

Look, dogs react different ways to different things. Some dogs may do fine with turkey while others will end up at the vet's office.

The warnings are out there. Now, whether or not one chooses to follow the warnings is up to you but I for one will NOT take any chances.

Still good to know..glad you posted it .
It was a new one on me, must have missed the 1 post about it.
I thought turkey and chicken were both good for dogs.
I think I'll stay on the safe side ...NO More for mine..;)

Since I lost one dog to a painful death with pancreatitis in January (and she had very minimal amounts of people food) I don't feed my yorkies ANY table foods at all. I think it depends on the individual dog as well as how much food is given. Unfortunately, you never know how prone your dog is to pancreatitis until it's too late.

Oh..I'm so sorry..:sad:

When Gracie was on a bland diet, the vet told me to give her extra lean ground turkey meat. She loves it. My rule of thumb is, no dark meat and no skin and no fat. Many commercial dog foods contain turkey. Not all Turkey is toxic!

Knowing what is IN something that causes an potentially allergic reaction is most important. Rather than saying that " " is toxic for your dog, don't give it to them. If that were true, then I'm sure some of you on here would've stopped giving your dogs Chicken a long time ago. Or stopped feeding Fromm a long time ago- BOTH products went through a bout of having killed a few dogs from bad batches. Doesn't mean you should be so fearful that you stop all together. I understand that you don't want to take chances w/ you little ones, ME TOO, but within reason. Just becase I know that my dog could potentially die at the groomers office because they use heaters on them while they're in cages, doesn't mean that I'm going to stop using my groomer.

Be realistic and just know what causes what and decide on how you want to react.
Another thing to consider as far as toxicity goes, is that just like allergies, your dog could develop sensitivities to something you've given it it's entire life and now suddenly you can't. They also may grow out of some sensitivities. So just because you gave your dogs five or six grapes as an adolencent dog, doesn't mean that at 7 or 8 you can get away w/ the same amount. Something else to think of. My dogs? They continue to get grapes once in awhile, because I know what it is about grapes that's toxic AND what the symptoms are. Life is short. Enjoy it how you choose. I wouldn't stop doing something just because of a blank statement. It may not be entirely true. Turkey is bad for your dog...not the turkey itself, but the process in which it retains most fat. At that point, you could say that some pot roasts would be bad for your dog as well.

Wow, thanks for the information. I will definitely keep this in mind!!

I read this thread around Thanksgiving, but figured a few pieces of turkey would be OK anyway.... and I woke up the next morning to Howie throwing up all over my comforter!!! So no more turkey for this yorkie!

I agree. Once I learn something is harmful to my baby, he won't get it. Like chocolate for example, he snuck some out of my purse before, and even though I panicked, he was fine. There's still no way in hell I would give him a little piece of it though.