With Halloween over and all of the ghouls and goblins carefully packed away for another year, I’m sure many of you are shifting your thoughts to the fast-approaching Thanksgiving holiday. As you gather this year with your family and friends to give thanks for your many blessings, I thought I would share a few easy ways to make the day fun and festive for your furry friends as well.

Start by taking your pet for a walk and a little exercise, this will help relieve some of the anxiety your pet may experience with a house full of guests. While many guests will want to ooh and ahh over your four-legged friend, letting your pet set the tone when it comes to interacting with your guests is probably a good idea. Many pets love the attention, but providing a quiet place where they can retreat and escape the excitement of the day is also a very good idea.

When it comes dinner, I’m sure many of you will enjoy the traditional turkey, dressing, potatoes & gravy. What sounds like a delicious Thanksgiving dinner for you and your guests, can actually be poor food choices when it comes to your pet’s diet. A good way to keep your furry friend from nibbling on table scraps that may be harmful to their health is to provide him or her with a suitable snack in the same Thanksgiving theme. I found this bag of Turkey with Pumpkin dog treats by Plato Treats.

While this is just one of the many healthy choices out there, keeping a few close to the dinner table will keep your pooch from begging for that unhealthy table scrap.

So the meal is over and it’s time for some football right? Whether you plan to relax and watch the game on TV or gather outside for a little backyard fun, your pet will want to be in on the action too. Dogs love things they can play with and chew on – and in keeping with the theme of the day, how about a football chew toy. You’re guaranteed to score some points with this Sports Star football Dog Toy by Zanies.

 

A couple other things to keep in mind when entertaining this holiday season:

*Keep candles out of pets reach, an innocent wag of a tail could prove dangerous.

*Pets are attracted to bright colorful things, aluminum foil and other food wrappings, and if ingested, can lodge in your pet’s throat.

*Keep garbage containers closed, animals are curious creatures and many food scraps found in the garbage can be harmful to their health.

*When traveling over the holidays, check to make sure your pet is welcome. What’s allowed at your house may not be acceptable at others.

*Lastly humans aren’t the only ones with things to be thankful for over the holidays, animals of all kinds are thankful for a warm house, a good meal and a loving owner. So give your pet an extra hug and keep the Happy in Thanksgiving this holiday season.