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6 Thanksgiving Tips For Pet Owners

November 1, 2018 by Mary Telesz

a dog playing outside in the leaves before he stays with an overnight pet sitting company for ThanksgivingThanksgiving can be extremely stressful if you’re planning on hosting your family and friends. However, while some pet owners are focused on being a good host and cooking a delicious meal, they can sometimes neglect the dangers thanksgiving can present to their pets. It’s possible that one of your house guests isn’t aware of things that can be dangerous to pets and inadvertently harm them. For example, some dogs can be extremely anxious around large groups of people and may be very uncomfortable while your entire family is visiting your home. If you’re going to stay at a relatives house, taking your pet with you may not be the best idea, but using overnight pet sitting services is a great alternative. Below are the top tips for how to ensure that not only do you have a great Thanksgiving, but your pet does as well.

Be Aware of Dangerous Holiday Foods

Many foods that people enjoy during Thanksgiving can actually be extremely dangerous for pets. While it’s probably highly unlikely you’ll avoid using them all together, take extra precautions to ensure that you keep the foods in a space your pet can’t reach. One of the major foods you need to look out for is chocolate. This includes everything from cocoa powder to chocolate chips and candy; chocolate is the number one toxins that vets have to treat during the holidays. Be especially careful of baker’s, semi-sweet, and other dark chocolate varieties as they are the most toxic for dogs and cats. If your pet ingests them, it can cause vomiting, hypertension, abnormal heartbeat, and seizures in even the most moderate amounts. You also need to be concerned about your pet finding their way to dirty dishes that have chocolate remnants on them, as the smallest amount can cause your beloved pet to get sick.

Decorations Can Be Deadly

While decorations can make a home come alive and truly capture the holiday spirit, they can also prevent hazards for your pets. Short of supervising your pets 24/7, the best way to prevent anything from happening to your pet is to be aware of decorations that present potential risks. Lights and candles can present a serious safety hazard for pets. Dogs can easily be tempted to chew on electrical cords of decorative lights, and cats could accidentally knock over a candle. When you’re placing these objects in your home, be sure you’re reducing their hazard risk by keeping them out of reach of your pets. Decorations like tinsel can be very attractive to cats. If they ingest it, it can bunch inside their intestines and cause serious injury that could require immediate veterinary care.

Avoid Holiday Plants

a kitten that is excited for her stay with overnight pet sitting services in Fairfax, VAChristmas Lilies (or any kind of lily) are popular during this time of year, but they are extremely toxic to pets – especially cats, and can destroy their kidneys sending them into renal failure. Holly and mistletoe are other common plants found during this time of year that can harm your pet. Not keeping them in your home is the best way to prevent your pets from ingesting them. Consider booking a stay with an overnight pet sitting company so that your pet can avoid these types of hazards.

Watch Out For Accidental Escapes

As people are entering in and out of your home on Thanksgiving, it can be extremely easy for your pet to slip out the door unnoticed. This time of year can bring very cold weather and you don’t want your pet running around lost in your neighborhood. To avoid this, you might consider gating your pet in a certain room or putting them in a crate.

Comfortable Pets Are Happy Pets

For pets that don’t like to be around a lot of people, Thanksgiving can be extremely stressful for them. Some pets can have anxiety so severe that they don’t eat or drink, which is certainly not good for them. This is a hard situation to navigate as you don’t want your pet to be uncomfortable, but you also want to include all of your family during the holiday celebration. The best solution may be to book overnight pet sitting services for your pet from a dog sitting company that employs experienced pet sitters.

Book an Overnight Pet Sitting Stay

Whether your new to having a pet sitter or not, the advantages they can bring during this time of year are numerous. If you’re hosting Thanksgiving at your house, you might find it useful to have your pet sitter come over and take care of your animal while your busy cooking and entertaining. While you can control the pet hazards that are in your house, this is not true for any relatives you may be staying with. Controlling what your pet can and can’t get into at somebody else’s house is almost impossible. Instead using the overnight pet sitting services to have a pet sitter stay the night at your house to care for your pet. This way you’ll be able to have a relaxing Thanksgiving without having to worry about your pet encountering any safety hazards. In your absence should your pet still find themselves in a hazardous situation, your pet sitter will be highly trained and know how to deal with the situation immediately.

Filed Under: Pet Advice, Pet Care

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!

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

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Centreville – 20120, 20121
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Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
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.
laceyrt
laceyrt
18:03 08 Mar 23
The folks at Paw Pals pet sitting are fantastic to work with. This review includes a bit of a long story but goes to show how dedicated they are to their job and the care they have for the animals they watch over. I reached out to Paw Pals, even though I live outside their service area, in a bit of a panic because our scheduled dog sitter for our family vacation suddenly wasn't available. The local sitters we've used in the past seemed like they wouldn't be able to accommodate us on such late notice and so we were scouring the internet for other options.When I submitted a request to Paw Pals, I expected to get a polite no thank you - you're out of our service area. Instead I got a call from Jen, who was so kind, helpful and accommodating and essentially bent over backwards to help set up a sitter for us. We met the sitter at her home and it was more of the same. So friendly and welcoming to our dog and fully prepared to watch her for two weeks.We ultimately didn't end up booking with Paw Pals, only because our local sitter had an opening that allowed someone to stay in home with our dog (who is a very anxious senior shepherd-collie mix). But just based on the limited experience I had with them, I would highly recommend Paw Pals. These folks are fantastic and I only wish we lived closer so we could utilize their other services on a regular basis. Five stars all the way!
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.
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!
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
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.
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