Thanksgiving is a time when family and friends gather together and share a hardy meal and often times the beloved family pets are hovering nearby.

While some maybe tempted to share the table's bounty with their four legged friends, Dr. Corinne Slaughter, of Hidden Brook Veterinary Services in Dartmouth, says that although this gesture is well intended, it can have unfortunate consequences.

"The old days of scraping off the plate for the dog bowl is long gone," said Slaughter "dogs nowadays spend a whole lot more time in the house, so if they're affected, you'll see the diarrhea, you'll see the lethargic dog, you'll see the vomiting, with dogs that lived outside years ago they just went off to the woods to do their thing and showed up a few days later hopefully."

Dr. Slaughter highlights some food items that are particularly troublesome.

"Fatty foods make can them very ill, anything in the cabbage family can make them ill, a little tidbit here and there, not so bad, a big piece of pork fat or beef fat, absolutely a no no," said Slaughter.

Desserts, especially those made with chocolate, can also pose dangers for your pets.

"People don't realize chocolate is very, very toxic to animals," said Slaughter "the chocolate cakes, the chocolate cookies, the bon-bons, absolutely a no no."

Dr. Slaughter says overall remembering this simple rule of thumb will keep your pets safe.

"People food for the people, pet food for the pets."

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