For those of us who celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, the concept of a time of goodwill and festive cheer are as old as the occasions themselves. Animals Asia Animal Welfare Officer Dave Neale explains how those concepts should be extended to animals.

This is the time of the year when we are encouraged more than ever to show our compassion towards others, to think of those less fortunate than ourselves, and "do our bit" to give something back to society.

That goodwill is a tradition that we actively enjoy. Whether it's assisting the poor, reaching out to an estranged relative or simply sparing a thought for the less well off.

This year I am going to ask you to take "sparing a thought" a little further and ask you a single, festive, favour:

Please spare a thought for animals this festive season.

We're told "Dogs are not just for Christmas". It's almost become a cliché. Don't buy pets as gifts that will be discarded or ignored before New Year. It's good advice. But are other animals not worth our consideration during the holidays?

While we sit down to feast, many of us are unaware of the suffering that the animals, presented before us, have endured to get to our plates.

Turkey chicks undergo a series of painful mutilations including beak-trimming, toe clipping and removal of the skin on the forehead known as the 'snood'. These procedures are carried out without anaesthetic.

Meanwhile, the demand for a larger bird with more breast meat has meant a bird designed for eating and not for living. A bird characterised by heart failure, lameness, leg deformities and hip degeneration.

The above happens on a scale of hundreds of millions of birds.

I could go on.

When working in developing countries, western supporters often cite education as the difference between animal cruelty and acceptance of them as sentient beings. And they are right, except the issue is not just an Asian one – it is international. As a first step, the acceptance of all animals as sentient will make people question all cruelty.

Turkeys are sentient animals with a right to live their lives free from such suffering. They should be allowed to make choices in life just as we do, to choose to socialise with other members within their flock in environments which meet their needs and not to have their life taken from them.

So do "spare a thought" this festive season for the less well off and ensure that includes animals. So much cruelty is down to a lack of thought. A result of zero consideration – not a single moment's contemplation. Think again of our seasonal goodwill – why shouldn't it extend to animals?

If we choose to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas by eating animals then we must accept responsibility for their lives and deaths.

These are perfect times for us to show our compassion towards animals, and for us to choose non-animal cruelty-free alternatives. There are mouth-watering alternatives allowing you to enjoy guilt-free holidays without causing animals to suffer.

We are all animals and sharing goodwill genuinely increases our contentment. Spreading joy and thinking of, not just mankind but animalkind, can only make for a happier festive season all round.

For some ideas of what to cook this Thanksgiving and Christmas visit the Vegan recipe club at http://veganrecipeclub.org.uk/christmas

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