Families are finalising the humans’ Christmas Day menus, but what about serving up the best Christmas dinners for dogs? There is always the temptation to sweep the scraps and leftovers off our plates and into the dog’s bowl, but common Christmas ingredients are often toxic to dogs, such as onions, chocolate and raisins.
All in all, it’s best to stick to food manufactured specifically for dogs to ensure everyone enjoys their Christmas Day. If you don’t want your dog to miss out on the festivities, check out these specialist doggy Christmas dinners – especially if you’ve treated him to a selection of the best Christmas dog treats or one of the best Advent calendars for dogs, he’ll have high expectations.
Best Christmas dinners for dogs
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Lily’s Kitchen Christmas Three Bird Feast
Size: 400g
RRP: £3.80
A new nutritionally complete grain-free, wet food recipe for adult dogs (four months plus). This limited-edition, exclusive Christmas recipe is made with easily digestible meats: 40% turkey, 10% goose and 10% duck – a spectacular three-bird feast with all the trimmings for Christmas dinner. Includes vitamin A-rich carrots for healthy eye support, cranberries for vitamin C, broccoli for potassium and iron.
This Christmas dinner is turkey and chicken with “all-the-trimmings”. It’s made from locally sourced produce in the UK, is grain-free and puppy-friendly, too.
Treat your four-legged friend to a limited edition festive feast this Christmas with this bundle including grain-free wet food and soft-bite treats. The food is made with festive turkey (75%), cranberry and parsnip. Bursting with goodness, made with natural ingredients, with added vitamins, minerals and botanicals. The soft-bites consist of turkey and cranberry, designed to help nourish the relationship with owners and their dogs in between mealtimes.
This traditional turkey dinner is packed with lean, digestible proteins and superfood veggies, providing fatty acids, omega 3 and antioxidants as well as glucosamine and chondroitin for joint support and healthy cartilage. It’s 100% natural, grain-free and hypoallergenic.
A premium gift box for dogs containing wet food and healthy meaty treats from this ethical, award-winning small British company. This vet-recommended wet food is low-calorie, high-protein turkey and chicken, with fruit and vegetables for a traditional Christmas dinner. It also includes the cheese fondue meaty treats, cheese fondue dental sticks and a pack of poop bags.
Made from a single-source protein – 70% Christmas turkey – this nutritious meal includes festive carrot and parsnip, as well as yucca extract and herbs. Suitable for dogs aged one to seven years old.
There is always the temptation to sweep the scraps and leftovers off our plates and into the dog’s bowl, turkey scraps might contain cooked bones, which can cause internal damage or choking. And even those foods that aren’t highly dangerous may upset your dog’s digestion – for example, he probably won’t benefit from a yummy baked brie, and the high fat and salt content of pigs in blankets means they should be offered only sparingly as a treat. Fruits and vegetables are safer ground, but be aware that stuffing contains onions.
How we chose the best Christmas dinners for dogs
It’s all a bit of fun, a festive dog’s dinner. As dogs should be following a routine diet, and any changes should be made gradually, we wouldn’t advise suddenly swapping to a new food for Christmas Day. However, if the ingredients are along similar lines to his usual diet, let your pooch enjoy his own version of turkey and trimmings! Turkey is typically an excellent protein source, being lean and easily digestible. Many of the fruits and veg typically eaten for Christmas dinner are packed with antioxidants and vitamins – such as cranberries and carrots. We picked products from well-reputed dog food companies using natural ingredients.
What can I give my dog for Christmas dinner?
Many of the Christmas dinner ingredients, on their own, are fine for dogs to eat in moderation, such as turkey, carrots, cranberries and parsnips. However, you should not make sudden changes to your dog’s diet. Also bear in mind that the food you have cooked for your human company is likely to include ingredients such as onion, garlic, salt and spices (for example, in stuffing) which could be toxic to your dog. For this reason, never give your dogs scraps from the Christmas dinner table. Far better to chose a meal specifically put together and safety-checked for dogs, such as one of the products listed above.
As for Christmas puddings, this is a no-go area. In traditional Christmas puddings and mince pies, the raisins and other vine fruits are highly toxic to dogs and can be fatal, as well as the alcohol used in the cooking process. Chocolate logs and the like are equally poisonous – the theobromine found in chocolate (the darker the more toxic) can kill your dog.
Is Christmas stressful for dogs?
The disruption to routine, the visitors, children, music and decorations can all cause a dog anxiety. They don’t know it’s Christmastime – although they’ll sense something’s up with all the upheaval that goes on in most homes.
Try as hard as you can to stick to your dog’s routine – with walks, feeding and bedtime.
If you have visitors, introduce them carefully and quietly so your dog can meet them at their own pace.
Make sure your dogs has a haven to which they can escape, chill and rest.
Don’t forget about them! Although it’s a busy time, your dog will still need walks, interaction and love.
If you’re going out for Christmas lunch, don’t leave your dog alone for too long. If you can take your dog with you, bring a familiar item such as blanket to help him settle in.
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Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
