You don’t have to be a human to be able to appreciate the yumminess of a fresh pot of coffee, just take it from me, a four-legged pup!
Every morning, my dad makes himself a morning cup of coffee, and it smells deeelicious!
As of just recently, water was the only drink on the menu for me, until I decided to take matters into my own hands, that is.
My dad came downstairs to make himself his daily cup of coffee when I jumped up and drank some.
My dad got mad at me and said that I wasn’t supposed to drink it, leading me to wonder if caffeine is exclusive to humans alone. If you have a dog and have currently been asking yourself this question, then I’m here to help you discover if we dogs can drink coffee, once and for all.
Is coffee suitable for dogs?
Believe it or not, even though coffee beans are naturally occurring, that doesn’t mean that it is good for all of us. For this reason, we dogs are a lot more sensitive to caffeine than our human counterparts – even though we might think that it smells totally delicious!
Though just one or two laps from an unmonitored mug of coffee might not have an adverse effect on your dog, anything more than that might make them sick.
In addition to this, the size of a dog also heavily influences how much caffeine will impact a dog. I’m a golden lab, so though a little bit of stolen coffee from my dad’s coffee cup only leads to a telling-off, it might cause a smaller breed dog (like a Yorkshire terrier) to become unwell.
Is coffee bad for a dog?
Like I mentioned above, though a few laps of coffee might not be bad for a dog, anything else does pose the risk of being potentially toxic.
If you notice that your dog eats any coffee grounds or beans, then this could lead to dangerous poisoning.
Therefore, if you notice that your dog has eaten some coffee beans, then you should immediately call your vet and seek medical attention.
By doing so, your veterinarian will be able to make a proper medical assessment by taking into a variety of factors such as the amount of caffeine that has been consumed, the dog’s weight, and other things such as their age.
How much coffee can a dog drink?
As caffeine acts as a stimulant regardless of whether you’re a human or furry four-legged friend (like me!).
Therefore, when ingested, coffee will affect our nervous system in a similar way to yours, so the 400mg that is safe for human consumption isn’t safe for us.
In a perfect world, dogs shouldn’t be given any coffee at all, so if you’re a dog owner tempted to let your pup try, it’s better to stay on the safe side and stick to water.
Can puppies drink coffee?
At all costs, puppies shouldn’t be given any caffeine to drink. Why? Well, as little pups are busy growing, learning, and exploring the world around them, they need all the nutrients they can get so that they can be nice and strong.
I remember when I was just a little puppy, all I needed was my mom’s milk until I got a little bit bigger and started to drink water and solid, delicious foods.
My mom’s milk contained all of the nutrients, vitamins, and other things that I needed to be healthy and strong.
Is caffeine toxic to a dog?
Generally speaking, all levels of coffee isn’t healthy for dogs. However, what counts as a ‘lethal’ dosage of caffeine will very much depend on the size and breed of the dog, as well as other kinds of health factors.
For instance, the smallest of breeds (like a Chihuahua) may only need to ingest a small number of coffee beans/regularly brewed coffee for it to have a toxic effect and require the need for a vet’s assistance.
On the other hand, a larger dog, like me, would likely require a higher dosage of caffeine in order for it to be dangerous.
Why do dogs like the taste of coffee?
Well, this one is easy!
It doesn’t take a dog-lover to see how much we love to try new foods, especially if we see our humans enjoying them!
It should go without saying too, that if we’re not allowed something, it will only make us more curious as to what it might taste like, and coffee just so happens to be one of those things.
In addition, if a dog has already been exposed to different types of dry and wet foods, it’s only going to make him more tempted to take a gulp of coffee, especially as it has such an appealing aroma.
Not only that, but dogs tend to enjoy more ‘bitter’ tasting food due to our taste buds, and coffee fits the bill perfectly.
What do you do if a dog eats coffee beans?
Like I said earlier, there’s a huge difference between taking a lap of coffee from a mug and congesting a handful of coffee beans. This is because coffee beans contain a concentrated chemical that is toxic to dogs, known as theobromine.
Now, if that rings a bell, it may be because theobromine is one of the main ingredients of chocolate, which is widely known for being poisonous to dogs.
For this reason, if you discover that your dog has eaten coffee beans, he may begin to experience symptoms of toxicity, including increased thirst, panting, muscle tremors, vomiting, shaking, being overly excitable, and potential visible signs of distress.
Therefore, the moment that you notice that your dog has eaten them, is the precise moment that you need to seek emergency medical treatment.
If you take your dog to your local vets, then the veterinarian will be able to properly assess the situation, and the best course of action to take to ensure your pup’s safety.
