Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.

For many, this time of year is full of excitement and joy, but for others, it can be a time of feeling stressed and overwhelmed. And Ned is one of the latter. The comings and goings of relatives and friends, the sudden appearance of a large tree in the house, and most worrying of all, a constant parade of mouth-watering food that no one seems willing to share with him.

Just as he should be, Ned is accustomed to being fawned over and spoiled, so you can imagine his confusion and chagrin when he’s being excluded from dinner, passed over for pudding, and left out of the leftovers. How can there be so many delicious smells coming from the kitchen that do not appear in his bowl?

Food Is Life

Unfortunately for Ned, and all dogs, the holiday season is fraught with many delicious dishes that are also extremely dangerous for dogs.

All that glazed ham, pork crackling, pigs in blankets, and basted turkey can mean a short trip to the vet with an acute case of pancreatitis. Then there’s the fact that every other food item seems to be packed with either raisins or chocolate or both, which can have nasty toxic effects now and in the future. This might be the most wonderful time of the year for many people, but it’s also one of the busiest for vets, with many dogs being dragged unceremoniously in by frustrated owners to be liberated of their stomach contents.

For a dog like Ned, whose favorite activities include eating, fighting with Fred, eating, snuggling on a hot water bottle, and eating, it can be hard to explain why the tidbits that usually find their way into his tummy are strictly off-limits.

This year I decided to add some doggy cheer to our festive meal prep, by creating a dog-safe feast so that Ned could get his Christmas wish of food.

Roast Turkey With Gravy and Turkey Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 turkey breast steak (light meat)
• Pet friendly turkey bone broth
• 1 teaspoon oil (olive or canola)

For the stuffing:

• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) ground turkey
• ¼ cup of cornmeal
• 1 ½ tablespoons oil (olive or canola)
• 30 grams (1 ounce) of cranberries, fresh or dried, chopped finely

Method

Roast Turkey and Gravy

Preheat the oven to 400^oF and line a baking pan with foil. Coat both sides of the turkey steak with a very light layer of oil, and pour the rest onto the tray.

Cook for approximately 20–30 minutes, or until the meat is golden brown. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and remove the turkey, being careful not to spill any of the liquid from the pan.

Prepare around 50 milliliters (1.5 fluid ounces) of bone broth according to the instructions and add the liquid/oil from the baking pan. Allow to cool. Cut the turkey into strips of approximately ½ by 1½ inches and drizzle the gravy over the top.

Turkey Stuffing

Preheat the oven to 350^oF and line a baking tray with baking paper. Lightly brown the ground turkey in half the oil and allow to cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cooled turkey mince, cornmeal, cranberries, and the rest of the oil. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. The mixture should be able to hold together but not be too moist or sticky. If needed, add water to allow the mixture to bind together. Mix in the catnip.

Roll the mixture into a log on the baking tray and cook for 25-30 minutes, turning occasionally. The final product should maintain some form but also be slightly crumbly.

Serving

Whether he agrees or not, a Ned-sized portion of this feast will be no more than 2-3 slices of turkey with a teaspoon of stuffing. Because this food is higher in calories than his usual, this portion will be one of his meals, not in addition to.

Of course, I had to make enough for everyone, with Fred having the same sized portion as Ned, Poppy, Bailey, and Kodah each having a whole turkey steak to themselves and sharing the stuffing.

Because of Kodah’s food allergies, I slipped some Benadryl in with his, which will hopefully be enough to head off his itch, and as an added bonus, give us all the gift of a silent night!

Sharing the Love Without the Vet Trip

If you’re a sucker for those pleading eyes (like I am), it might be worth planning in advance and either setting aside some plain, unseasoned meat and veg for your dogs or going the extra mile to make a dog-safe roast. Of course, if your dog has a sensitive stomach, allergies, or health conditions, you’ll want to check with your vet before serving them up this sort of festive feast, but there’s no reason why you can’t do something a little bit special that they can tuck into while we’re all enjoying our food comas and watching Die Hard.

Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, or just plain old celebrating, be sure to take care of each other, take care of yourself, and most importantly, take care of the dog!

PS –  Die Hard IS a Christmas movie!