Watch Out for These Thanksgiving Dangers

Seduced by the idea of deep frying a turkey this year? Keep in mind that oil and water really don't mix - so don't try to fry a frozen bird. 

And considering the flames that are involved, along with the scorching oil, best to fry that poultry outside, away from fences, walls and structures. 

These and the following tips from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, should help keep you and your family safe during this festive time of year -- a time when parents, already vigilant of bubbling pots and sharp knives, should take extra precautions. 

Thanksgiving Safety: 

• If children are around the kitchen, make sure to use the farthest burner and face handles of pots and pans inward, away from their reach. 

• Avoid loose clothing and wearing long sleeves while cooking. Also, while dinner is on the table, make sure the mats are unreachable to young children; it may cause adults, children and pets to get seriously burned. 

• Avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen. Wash cutting boards, plates and knives immediately after cutting any raw meats. 

• Choking accounts for many U.S. deaths each year. The universal sign of a choking person choking is that he/she will instinctively grab their throat, panic, and may wheeze or gasp for breath. If a person can cough, there is a partial blockage of the airway, which normally can be resolved by forcefully coughing. 

• The American Red Cross suggest the following for conscious and unconscious chocking individuals: 

• For back blows, position yourself behind the person. Provide support by placing one arm diagonally across the chest and lean the person forward. Strike the person on the back between the shoulder blades with the heel of your other hand. 

• For abdominal thrust, stand or kneel behind the person and wrap your arms around his or her waist. Make a fist with one hand and place the thumb side against the middle of the victim's abdomen, just above the navel and below the lower tip of the breastbone. Grab your fist with your other hand and give quick inward and upward thrusts into the abdomen. 

• Repeat this until the object becomes dislodged or the person becomes unconscious. Unconscious choking requires a more in-depth care. Please view or enroll yourself to the American Red Cross First Aid and CPR course. For more information visit http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/ 

• And then there are our furry friends: stuff your bird, not your pets. Generally speaking, dogs and cats should not eat table scraps. If you do give Otis and Fluffy some part of your meal, the Pasadena Humane Society & ASPCA recommends removing any rich sauce, and only giving vegetables. The better idea, though, is to keep their bowls filled with regular food and give several pet treats.