The Day After Thanksgiving Is a Sick Day for Pets

Welcome to Petfolk by the Numbers. This is a new series. In each post, we take what we see across our clinics and turn it into plain facts and charts. No guesses. Just what the data shows, and what it means for your pet.

First up: Thanksgiving. We looked at every completed Petfolk visit over Thanksgiving weekend in 2024 and 2025, and compared it to the 4 weekends before.

Key findings

• On the Friday after Thanksgiving, about half (50 to 52%) of Petfolk visits were for a sick pet. On a normal November Friday, it is about 40%.

• Sick-pet visits on that Friday were 34% higher than on a normal November Friday (2025).

• Pancreatitis tests jumped 66% over Thanksgiving weekend, compared with the 4 weekends before (2025).

• The pancreatitis peak came on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, 3 days after the meal. Tests that day were about 50% higher than on a normal November Sunday.

• The share of pets who got a pancreatitis test rose from 2.5% to 3.9% (2025) and from 1.5% to 1.9% (2024).

• We saw the same pattern in both 2024 and 2025.

1. Black Friday is a sick-pet day

On a normal November Friday, about 4 in 10 of our visits are for a sick pet. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, it is about half. Wellness visits stay about the same. The extra visits are pets who feel bad.

• 2024: 39% on a normal November Friday, 50% on the Friday after Thanksgiving

• 2025: 40% on a normal November Friday, 52% on the Friday after Thanksgiving

2. Friday takes the hit. By Monday, it's over.

The jump is biggest on Friday and still there on Saturday. Sunday is always a busy sick day for us, holiday or not. By Monday, things are back to normal.

• Friday: 40% normally, 52% after Thanksgiving

• Saturday: 47% normally, 55% after Thanksgiving

• Sunday: 60% normally, 60% after Thanksgiving

• Monday: 38% normally, 35% after Thanksgiving

3. The whole weekend leans sick

Across the full Thanksgiving weekend, about half of our visits were for a sick pet. In the 4 weekends before, it was 45%. Same shift, two years in a row.

• 2024: 45% in the 4 weekends before, 51% on Thanksgiving weekend

• 2025: 45% in the 4 weekends before, 50% on Thanksgiving weekend

4. Pancreatitis tests jump 66%

Pancreatitis is swelling of the pancreas, the organ that helps digest food. Rich, fatty food is a common trigger in dogs. Turkey skin, gravy and ham fat are the usual suspects.

Vets check for it with a blood test called pancreatic lipase. Over Thanksgiving weekend 2025, we ran 66% more of these tests than on a normal November weekend.

Pancreatitis tests by weekend, Friday to Monday, 2025 (index: normal = 100):

• Oct 31 to Nov 3: 97

• Nov 7 to 10: 88

• Nov 14 to 17: 91

• Nov 21 to 24: 123

• Thanksgiving, Nov 28 to Dec 1: 166

• 2024: 1.5% of pets tested in the 4 weekends before, 1.9% on Thanksgiving weekend

• 2025: 2.5% of pets tested in the 4 weekends before, 3.9% on Thanksgiving weekend

A test is not a diagnosis. Many pets we test do not have pancreatitis. But the jump shows how many pets came in with the signs.

5. The peak comes on Sunday, not Thursday

Pancreatitis tests peaked on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That is 3 days after the meal. Tests that day were about 3 times a normal November day, and about 50% higher than a normal November Sunday.

Signs can take a day or two to show. If your dog seems off on Saturday or Sunday, think back to what they ate on Thursday.

Pancreatitis tests per day, 2025 (index: average November day = 100):

• Normal November Sundays: 191 to 221

• Friday after Thanksgiving: 145

• Saturday after Thanksgiving: 252

• Sunday after Thanksgiving: 320

• Monday after Thanksgiving: 130

What to watch for after the meal

Call a vet if your pet has any of these:

• Vomiting more than once, or trying to vomit with nothing coming up

• A painful belly, or a "praying" pose (front end down, back end up)

• Not eating, or very low energy

• Diarrhea that does not stop

If your pet ate something toxic, call your vet now. You can also call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435. They charge a fee.

Foods to keep off the floor

• Turkey skin, fat, gravy and drippings

• Cooked bones (they can splinter)

• Onions, garlic, leeks and chives (in stuffing, too)

• Grapes and raisins

• Raw bread dough

• Anything sweetened with xylitol

• Alcohol

The easy fix: give your pet a small taste of plain, skinless turkey breast. Put the plates out of reach. Take out the trash. Tell guests not to share.

When we're open

Petfolk is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2026. We open again on Friday, November 27, the day pets need us most. Book a same-day sick visit or use the Petfolk app.

If your pet needs care on Thursday, go to your nearest 24-hour emergency hospital.

How we got these numbers

• Source: Petfolk's own visit and lab records, all locations, 2024 and 2025. Test accounts are left out.

• Thanksgiving weekend: Thursday to Monday (Friday to Monday for test counts, because we are closed on Thursday).

• Comparison: the same days of the week in the 4 weeks before Thanksgiving.

• "Sick-pet visits" are visits booked as illness or urgent care.

• Pancreatitis tests: in-house and lab pancreatic lipase tests for dogs and cats, counted once per pet per day.

• An index shows change, not size. 100 = the normal level. 166 = 66% above normal.