As people prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), offers tips in an informative video on how to keep pets safe.

“Thanksgiving can be a hazardous holiday for our pets,” he says in the video.  “Table scraps are never a good idea.  Most people know this, but few understand just how deadly table scraps can be.  Our pets simply can’t handle fatty foods as well as we can.

“When you throw away the turkey, make sure it’s in a bag and securely thrown away in the trash.  If your pet gets into it, it could cause a life-threatening condition called pancreatitis.”

Dr. DeHaven offers a number of other tips about common Thanksgiving hazards for pets.  The video is intended to keep pets safe this holiday and avoid emergency veterinary visits.  The video is available for download and use by the media at the AVMA Media Library, www.avmamedia.org, and the general public is encouraged to view it on AVMA-TV, www.avmatv.org.