Dog owners are often wondering, – Can dogs drink coffee? Most of us are coffee lovers, and perhaps would like to share a cup of our favourite beverage with our fur friends.
Therefore, it’s recommended to learn about the effect coffee would have on your doggie.
For this reason, we’ve decided to answer one of the frequently asked questions by coffee & dog lovers – ‘Can dogs drink coffee?’.
Can Dogs Drink Coffee?
Let’s start with a blunt answer – No! If you’re thinking of sharing a cup of coffee with your dog, resist from following it through.
Dogs cannot drink coffee because caffeine which is present in coffee (although beneficial to humans, even improving mental alertness, among others) is toxic to dogs.
Caffeine poisoning in dogs is severe as it affects their hearts as well as their nervous system.
Unlike humans who have a higher caffeine tolerance, only a little amount of caffeine taken by dogs is enough for symptoms of caffeine poisoning to appear.
Is it Safe for Dogs to Drink Coffee?
As has been noted, it’s not safe for dogs to drink coffee as all types of caffeine are bad for dogs.
Depending on the size of your dog, it can get away with a small amount of coffee without experiencing caffeine poisoning.
However, a more substantial quantity could become life-threatening. So, to be on the safer side, keep your dogs away from coffee.
Even if its eyes are bulging with greed, don’t share your cup of coffee with your four-legged friend!
Don’t tease your dog(s) when drinking your cup of coffee either. Also, don’t leave coffee beans littered around the house.
In case your dog happens to consume them, he’ll be taking in a large amount of caffeine which can be life-threatening.
In that case, watch for such symptoms as increased blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, and increased heart rate.
What Effect does Coffee Have on Dogs?
As mentioned earlier, coffee is toxic to dogs. However, we didn’t do justice as to how bad it was to your favourite pet.
So, let’s talk about the effect your pet would experience if it ingests coffee.
Vets and animal experts insist that within 30 to 60 minutes of consuming coffee, dogs, and cats are likely to exhibit some signs of caffeine poisoning.
So, keep an eye out for symptoms like agitation, restlessness, hyperactivity, panting, and vomiting. Also, as the toxicity increases, your pet may have seizures and tremors.
Veterinarians claim that caffeine poisoning, although seen from time to time, isn’t as common as chocolate poisoning.
Generally, for common household pets like dogs and cats, the lethal dose of caffeine is 150mg/kg body weight.
What this means is that your pet would experience caffeine poisoning, but not enough to be lethal if it consumes a typical cup of coffee (which is 100mg).
Then again, to be safe, keep your pets away from coffee, since there’s no known antidote for caffeine poisoning.
There is also a lot of caffeine in coffee beans, so there’s a high probability of a life-threatening situation if your dog happens to consume coffee beans.
Can Dogs Drink Coffee with Milk?
Firstly, coffee alone is harmful to dogs. Milk isn’t the best for them either. In fact, milk and other dairy products are some of the key triggers for food allergies in dogs.
Notably, milk isn’t suitable for adult dogs in particular. The younger ones still suckling have the lactase enzyme which is required for breaking down the milk sugar (lactose) present in milk.
Also, different dogs have different levels of lactose intolerance.
For some dogs, once they ingest milk, they may not experience any severe symptoms, maybe just gastrointestinal distress. However, others could show severe clinical signs of poisoning.
By all means, giving your pet a cup of coffee with milk is a terrible idea.
Aside from the apparent toxicity caffeine has on canines, your dog might be lactose intolerant.
Consequently, you’d have a lot more problem on your hands than just a dog suffering from caffeine poisoning. You would need to visit a vet as soon as possible to figure out a viable solution.
What to Do if your Dog Drunk Coffee
Although you shouldn’t be giving your dog coffee, if your pooch happens to have taken in caffeine with or without your knowledge, here’s what you should do.
Firstly, don’t panic. Caffeine poisoning signs and symptoms should start appearing within 30 minutes to 1 hour or max 2 hours after ingestion.
If you notice your pet has random symptoms like restlessness, agitation, and panting, it would most likely get better in a few hours. (As long as your dog didn’t consume caffeine in life-threatening quantities.)
On the other hand, if your doggie had taken a lot of coffee and displays signs of severe toxicity, you should take him to a vet immediately for a proper check-up.
While there’s no known antidote for fixing caffeine poisoning, your vet may proffer individual solutions like:
- Prescribing anti-seizure pills.
- Inducing vomiting. It would keep the caffeine from getting into the blood vessels.
- Reducing the blood pressure with specific medication.
Also, you may leave your doggie with the pet for a few hours to monitor the dog for any complications that may likely arise.
Conclusion
Coffee, as well as all caffeine-rich products, is toxic for your dog. One of the most troubling symptoms is an increase in heart rate.
The impact will depend on the size of your dog, as well as the amount of consumed coffee. If a small amount is taken, it may likely do not cause any harm to your dog.
However, if consumed in large quantities, it could become severe and even life-threatening condition for your pet.
To summarise, coffee is harmful to your dog, and it shouldn’t consume it. Don’t entice your dog with coffee and keep coffee beans away from its reach.
If your doggie happens to have taken coffee with or without your notice, contact your veterinarian immediately. The earlier the signs of caffeine poisoning are noticed, the better the chances are to minimise its impact.
While there isn’t a specific cure for caffeine poisoning, your vet may be able to save your pet’s life if contacted as soon as possible.
If you want to find out more about what drinks can dogs consume, read our detailed articles – “Can dogs drink juice?”, “Can dogs drink tea?”.
Also, you will find the complete articles answering the questions “Can dogs drink gatorade?”, “Can dogs drink beer?” , “Can dogs drink Milk”, by clicking the link.