Feeding your dog Christmas leftovers can leave them feeling ill

A traditional roast dinner contains things not always good for your pet pooch

It’s so tempting to feed your dog all the Christmas food that’s left over from your festive feast, but a leading expert has warned that it could do more harm than good.

Leading veterinarian and founder of Burns Pet Nutrition John Burns has issued a warning ahead of Christmas on the harm that feeding dog’s left overs can do. There are considerable dangers with feeding pooches’ foods such as stuffing with onions, gravy with high salt and sugar content and too much bacon.

The leading healthy pet food company also revealed new stats from a recent survey which shows that 49 per cent of Brits admit to feeding their canine friends’ leftovers at Christmas including bacon, stuffing and turkey with gravy!

Almost one in three dogs (31 per cent) admit that their dogs’ stomachs can’t always hack leftovers or take away treats such as chips, nuggets and burgers. 15 per cent of pups have been ill more than once from it.

Your dog may like the look of a Christmas dinner but not everything on the plate is good for them

20 per cent of dog owners admitting their dog never refuses toast with a further 12% confessing they offer their dog chips when they’re indulging in their own take away!

Mr Burns has revealed his top tips on how to deal with dogs that like to steal food and get food envy.

Foods that should be avoided for dogs during the festive period include:

Turkey or chicken skin

Christmas dinner food for humans is not always good for dogs

Gravy

Bird bones

Anything that contains herbs and spices

Onions

Stuffing

Pigs in blankets

To counteract the temptation to feed your dog leftovers at Christmas, Burns have taken the liberty of releasing a brand-new dog-only Christmas turkey recipe. Packed with all the nutrients and goodness a dog needs, this festive new product will be available for a limited time only online now.

Founder of Burns Pet Nutrition, John Burns MBE, said: “It is very easy to get carried away in the celebrations of Christmas but don’t let your festive mood affect your dog's health.

"The best practice is to simply keep your dog to their normal diet but if you wish to give them a taste of Christmas, you can feed them some plain turkey without bones or skin with some plain potatoes and some select vegetables.”