This is my obligatory Thanksgiving warning entry — where I remind you all that too many table scraps can be very bad news for your pets and certain foods should always be considered a no-no.

By now most of you know the foods you should always avoid giving your dog: Chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic and ham. But you also want to avoid other foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt.

(Come to think of it, I should avoid those too. And now that I review my menu, that’s pretty much all the good stuff. Darn.)

Also, be careful about the carcass of the bird. Poultry bones are very bad for dogs, but you will never convince a dog of that with the heavenly smell floating around the kitchen after carving. I am not one to make my own stock, so we always make sure to double bag the bones and take them directly out to the trash can in the garage. This way I don’t worry about my tall dogs counter surfing  or knocking over the trash can in the kitchen while we are spooning up our second helping of stuffing in the dining room.

That’s not to say you can’t let your pets in on a little fun. Slipping your pet a wee bit of white meat from the turkey (minus the fatty skin) is OK. Just try to limit it to one snack and not one from everyone at the table.

(Blogger confession: I always save the excess crust from my slice(s) of pie for my dogs. They love “pie bones.”)

We want the entire family to enjoy tomorrow’s feast, and that can include your dogs and cats. But a trip to the emergency vet is no fun for anyone, so just use a little caution and everyone will have a happy holiday.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend and see you Monday, readers!