The Great Turkey Debate
This is coming from a Vet on the List and she also indicates that the triptalyne (?sp) in Turkey may actually have a calming affect on the dogs too! 
Just one of those rumors that nobody is sure where they heard it - but they have heard that "something in turkey is dangerous". Remember though - the GREENIE "rumor" is TRUE! (Right Josh??) Kristen |
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| The whole point to the possibility of it causing pancreatitis though holds true with ANY animal fats. Turkey itself is lower in fats that most meat, so the risk of turkey causing pancreatitis is lower than feeding a dog any other meat without trimming the fat.
Tryptophan, the chemical you are talking about, is actually an essential amino acid. It helps the body produce niacin, which in turns helps produce serotonin, which is a chemical that affects the brain, has a calming affect and helps regulate sleep. For a cat or dog to have pancreatitis (simply put, inflammation of the pancreas, that could be caused by hundreds of different things) from fat, the dog would have to be obese, for a length of time, or have abnormal lipid profiles to begin with, in which case any amount of fat could trigger an episode. In a normal healthy dog(cat, person, whatever), if caused by diet, it is caused by a diet that is greater in fat than in protein. Although middled aged, older, and overweight dogs are at a higher risk, that is not to say it cannot happen to any dog at any time. However, if it happens to a young dog who is not overweight, then there would be another underlying cause and or predisposition to the condition in the first place. |
| Geez!!! I can't believe Pirate's birthday cake started this whole debate. A very knowledgable woman recommended the low fat, ground turkey cake for his birthday....someone I trust very much. I still think it was perfectly alright for him, and Molly and my kitties...oh, and the cream cheese frosting was fat free. Deborah (Hoping she's guilt free, and this was much ado about nothing)  |
| The problem with eating turkey is that it can cause diarrhea. My Dudley ate it and had no problems, Oliver did ok and then one Thanksgiving he had diarrhea big time. They only got a small taste no gravy. Oreo has never eaten turkey. |
| I feed my dogs turkey. But we started with a 1/2 tsp. and worked ouf way up to an ounce or two at a time. This is not every day either. The turkey can be ground and formed into 1 ounce balls and baked (actually they are for me to eat, but I share.) Roasted turkey is another biggie. I won't give them raw turkey.
The key is amount and frequency. Small amounts, infrequently UNLESS pupper shows an immediate reaction which may indicate an allergy. No gravy, no cream cheese mash potatoes, just plain turkey. |
| Chelsea had a turkey dinner right along with us on Tanksgiving and she LOVED it! Of course her dinner consisted of kibble tossed with pan drippings (not the fat but the good stuff you make the gravy out of), wet canned dog food that looked like a dollop of mashed potatoes, a handfull of baby carrots, and one nice chunk of roasted turkey ontop, daddy got a picture, the entire family thinks we are so weird- but hey we have to live with ourselves, and Chelsea licked her plate clean, than she sat back, loosened the buckle on her collar and took a nap on the couch while she watched football.
Oh yeah, she passed on the pumpkin cheescake, (watching her figure)
Up. |
| MMMMMMMMMM...pumpkin cheesecake! |
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