Paw Pals Pet Sitting

Dog Walking & Pet Sitting in Northern VA

Client Portal
(703) 345-1695
Schedule Services
  • About Us
    • Client Reviews
    • Common Questions
    • Team Bios
    • Join Our Team
    • Policies & Service Agreement
    • Who We Support
  • Pricing
    • Dog Walking
    • Dog Sitting
    • Cat Sitting
    • Pet Sitting
    • Additional Services
    • Holiday Fee Service Schedule
  • Dog Sitting
  • Dog Walking
  • Cat Sitting
  • Pet Sitting
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Foods That Are Dangerous for Your Dog

June 8, 2020 by Mary Telesz

dog and ownerDog owners love giving their dogs treats and table scraps. Most dog owners are responsible enough to know that not all foods are safe for dogs. However, dogs will find a way to get access to something tasty – maybe something left on the counter or from a small child. Depending on the food and the amount consumed, the dog may just experience an upset stomach for a few hours. In some cases, it is a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate veterinary care.

Below is a list of foods that your dog should never eat. Some are more dangerous to your dog than others, and the risk that each of these foods presents depends on the quantities your dog consumes, your dog’s weight and your dog’s overall health condition. If you think your dog has eaten any of the foods listed below, the safest course of action is to contact your vet immediately.

Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, and Caffeine

Any food or drink containing any one of these ingredients is very toxic, and often fatal, to your dog. Under no circumstances should your dog consume these. Keep your dog away from chocolate of any kind (including white chocolate, and especially dark chocolate), tea and coffee, in any form, including the beans and the grounds. Also, never allow your dog to have any form of cocoa, colas, or energy drinks. You will also find caffeine to be an ingredient in some cold medicines and pain killers. If your dog ingests any of these substances, you need to treat it as a life-threatening emergency and contact your vet immediately.

Food Containing Artificial Sweeteners, Especially Xylitol

Artificial sweeteners are in every kind of sugar-free processed food. Xylitol is an artificial sweetener often used in certain sugar-free candy and can be found in some human toothpaste. It is especially dangerous for dogs and can be lethal if ingested. Xylitol can make your dog’s blood sugar drop and cause liver failure. Early symptoms include vomiting, lethargy and difficulty walking or uncoordinated movements. Later symptoms could include seizures followed by liver failure in just a few days. If your dog ingests anything containing Xylitol, consider it a life-threatening emergency and contact your vet immediately.

Alcohol

Alcohol is dangerous for your dogAlcohol does damage to a dog’s liver and brain. Whether the alcohol is in liquid form or an ingredient in food (think rum cake at holiday time), it is dangerous. Just a little bit of alcohol, especially for a small dog, can do serious damage to your dog’s health. At a minimum, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea and problems with coordination. Worse, it can interfere with your dog’s ability to breathe, cause the dog to go into a coma or die.

Onions and Garlic

Your dog will have an anemic reaction to onions and garlic, as they kill your dog’s red blood cells. That is true whether the dog consumes it in raw, powdered, or dehydrated form. Food containing those ingredients should not be given to your dog, including that found in some baby food. If the dog eats too much at one time, it can cause poisoning. Signs of toxicity are weakness, vomiting, and breathing problems.

Grapes and Raisins

Grapes and raisins are extremely toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure. Even the smallest amount can make your dog very sick. Signs that your dog has consumed these items are repeated vomiting, and within a day, your dog will become lethargic and depressed.

Nuts, Especially Macadamia Nuts

Nuts are another dangerous food for a dog, but be especially careful to keep your dog away from macadamia nuts. It only takes a few raw or roasted macadamia nuts to make your dog extremely sick. Signs that your dog has consumed macadamia nuts include muscle shakes or trembling, vomiting, high temperature, and difficulty walking. Many times, macadamia nuts are coated with chocolate. Consuming those nuts and chocolate together is potentially fatal to your dog and you must contact your vet immediately if this occurs.

Fruits and Vegetables with Pits

Avocado is dangerous food for your dogAny fruits and vegetables with pits are dangerous to your dog. The pits and seeds can cause blockage in the dog’s intestines. Examples of produce with pits include avocados and persimmons. In addition to blockages, the pits of some fruit contain cyanide, which is poisonous. Examples of those fruits are peaches and plums.

Raw Eggs, Meat, and Fish

In the wild, your dog would be eating a raw meat diet. However, your dog is not a wild dog. Raw foods contain harmful bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, and parasites, and it can make your dog very sick. The first signs of food poisoning are vomiting, fever, diarrhea and swollen lymph nodes.

Salt and Salty Snacks

Too much salt is harmful to your dog because it can cause sodium ion poisoning. Signs that your dog has eaten too much salt are vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, tremors, fever and seizures. It may even cause death.

Speak to an Experienced Pet Care Professional at Paw Pals

For professional help with the care of your dog, contact an expert at Paw Pals. They are trained in proper dog care techniques and first aid. When you are away from home for any length of time, a dog sitter from Paw Pals can make sure your dog gets the right care if an emergency were to arise. Call them today for more information.

Filed Under: Pet Advice

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

Have a Question?

Certifications & Associations

PetTech-logo

PUPS-logo

Kennel Pro

Best of NOVA award 2022

Best of NOVA award 2021

Best of NOVA award 2020

Northern Virginia Magazine - Best Pet Care 2019 Award

Powered By

Pet Sitter Plus logo

Office Location

Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

professional dog walking software

Office Hours

Monday
9am - 5pm
Tuesday
9am - 5pm
Wednesday
9am - 5pm
Thursday
9am - 5pm
Friday
9am - 5pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Areas Served

Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 20151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

Google Rating
4.9
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
Next Reviews Write a review
powered by Google

© 2023 · Paw Pals Pet Sitters, LLC · Website Design by 321 Web Marketing