Food Safety Tips for the Jewish Holidays
Before you know it, the holidays will be in full swing, and life feels as good as it gets when you celebrate the holidays with dogs. In the Jewish community, people often share a meal together, and holidays are celebrated as a communal experience. For those of you who have dogs, it’s necessary to practice dog safety during Jewish holidays, so everyone can have fun celebrating. Enjoy every meal you get to eat, whether it’s your grandmother’s Matzo Ball Soup, tasty kosher meatballs, or delicious kugel, while keeping these scrumptious meals out of your dog’s reach due to the human food dangers for dogs, no matter how harmless offering these foods may seem. It’s crucial to understand the difference between safe and unsafe foods for your pet - an essential part of dog food safety. Although your playful pup might be tempted by the food you’re eating, hoping for a small nibble, it’s important to learn about what’s safe to feed your dog, how much is too much to offer, and which foods you should never give.
Protect Your Dog From Jewish Holiday Food
Excited for the holidays? Good! It’s time to dive into some helpful safety tips for your dog, though. For anyone who has a dog, it’s always important to protect your pet from foods they’re not supposed to be eating. During parties and events, this is especially true. One important rule of thumb, though, is that the more people there are at an event, the more different foods are going to be within your dog’s reach. Although your guests most certainly mean well, keep in mind how they may not be aware of your dog’s dietary needs. For this reason, it’s necessary to protect your dog by explaining to the guests that your dog should not be fed human food in large amounts.
The Dangers of Human Food for Dogs
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, many ingredients typically found in human food are toxic to dogs and can cause digestion issues, organ failure, or even death. That’s why it’s necessary for your guests to understand that chocolate, onions, grapes, and xylitol should be kept away from dogs at all times. For more information, check out this helpful article from the American Kennel Club, so you can figure out how to keep your dog safe during the holidays. There are many Jewish meals that have dangerous ingredients in it.
Let’s go over some Jewish dishes that are unsafe for dogs:
- Matzo Ball Soup - It has onions, garlic, or seasonings, which are unhealthy for dogs.
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Brisket - Typically cooked with onions, it’s proven to be unsafe for dogs.
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Latkes - It’s a fried, fattening dish that can cause digestive issues or pancreatitis.
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Kugel - High in fat and dairy, it may lead to stomach problems or pancreatitis.
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Chocolate Gelt - It’s a candy with chocolate, which is toxic for dogs.
Other Harmful Jewish Foods for Dogs
Moreover, there are numerous dishes people believe aren’t harmful, but they are. For example, plain challah bread may include sugar or honey. It’s known to cause stomach issues. It has sodium. That can be unhealthy for dogs in large amounts. Other ingredients in plain challah that are harmful to dogs include eggs and oil, known to be fattening. Additionally, it has no nutritional value for dogs and can lead to weight gain if you overfeed the dog. Learn more information about providing a healthy, nutritious diet for your dog, which is important all year round, not just during the holidays.
Avoid Feeding Your Dog Cooked Vegetables With Seasoning
Another Jewish dish that is unsafe for dogs is cooked vegetables with seasoning. While cooked vegetables are safe for dogs, how they’re typically prepared is unhealthy for your pet. These seasonings often include garlic, onions, chives, and salt, which lead to problems with digestion or anemia. Be sure to not feed your dog vegetables cooked with butter or oil either to avoid putting your pet at risk for pancreatitis. Instead, you can feed the dog plain fresh fruit and veggies, considered a healthy snack for dogs.
Do Not Feed Your Dog Jewish Sweets
Aside from cooked vegetables, grapes, raisins, and sweet baked goods should be kept away from your dog. It is never safe to feed a dog grapes because they are extremely toxic, and can lead to fatal acute kidney failure. Grapes are small, but even after eating just one of them is dangerous for dogs. Similar to grapes, raisins also have tartaric acid in it, making it toxic for dogs. It may lead to acute kidney failure as well. Side effects for dogs eating grapes and/or raisins include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and difficulty with urination.
Let’s go over Jewish dishes with grapes and raisins to avoid feeding your dog:
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Charoset - In this popular Passover dish, one of the main ingredients is grape juice.
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Challah with Raisins - It has raisins inside the bread, which are highly toxic to dogs.
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Rugelach - It’s made with dried fruit, such as raisins.
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Kugel - Certain kugel dishes are baked with raisins inside of it.
Keep Jewish Meals With Meat Away From Your Dog
After becoming familiarized with the dishes that have grapes and raisins in it, now let’s move onto Jewish meals with meat. It might not seem unsafe to give your dog a small piece of chicken or beef, but it’s important to know these foods aren’t suitable for dogs. These meats often include seasonings with salt, garlic, and spices, which are unhealthy for your dog. Although roasted chicken, brisket, and meatballs are delicious to humans, the seasoning they’re cooked with makes them dangerous to a dog, which is why the food is better off in your mouth, and kept away from theirs.
Remember to Protect Your Dog From Jewish Food
While it might be hard to say no to their sad puppy eyes, just remember that it’s in their best interest. Spend the Jewish holidays with happiness and love in your heart, instead of taking care of a sick dog by knowing how to protect your beloved pet from the dangers of human food. It’s important to establish healthy habits in the new year as well by improving your dog’s eating habits. Rest assured, you’ll be glad you did, offering you the opportunity to focus on celebrating each moment, where both people and pets experience good health. What’s important to remember is to keep everyone aware of how to help your dog be safe, so step up to the plate - quite literally! Let your dog cuddle underneath the table with a chew toy or a ball, but not the foods from your delicious Jewish meal. Once the night is over, everyone will go home happy and fed. Although your dogs yearn to be part of the main event, it’s best to let them sit on the sidelines when it comes to eating.
Written by Rachel Gordon-Acavia
