8 drinks dogs should avoid
Have you ever wondered if your dog gets sick of drinking water? My two absolutely love water and I know that’s all they need to stay hydrated, but when we’re out at a café and they look up at me with their big brown eyes, eyeing off my drink, I do get tempted to share it with them as a treat.
While there are a couple of drinks you can safely share with your dog in small amounts, here are 8 drinks to stay clear of.
Alcohol
Alcohol is extremely toxic for dogs. A dogs liver isn’t designed to process alcohol, which means if they consume even a small amount of beer, wine or any other alcoholic beverage they can experience difficulty breathing, decreased coordination, vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures, coma and even death.
Make sure you keep your alcohol out of reach from your dogs. This includes any products that contain alcohol like cleaning products, alcohol-based hand sanitiser and even raw bread dough containing yeast.
2. Caffeinated drinks
A small amount of caffeine can be deadly for dogs. Caffeine raises their blood pressure and can cause cardiac arrhythmias. Caffeine can also cause vomiting, diarrhoea, lose of muscle control, tremors, seizures and death. Caffeine is not only found in coffee, but also in tea, energy drinks and medication.
3. Soft drinks
Carbonated drinks like soft drink can contain caffeine which makes them toxic for dogs. Soft drinks also contain a high amount of sugar which can cause obesity and lead to gastric issues and diabetes. A couple of licks won’t do them any harm, however you wouldn’t want to make it a regular occurrence since there’s no nutritional benefits for your dog and it will only elevate your dog’s blood sugar level and can also cause caffeine toxicity.
4. Sports drinks
In general dogs only need water to stay hydrated. They don’t loose electrolytes through panting as we do sweating, so they don’t need energy drinks. Energy drinks contain salt, sugar, artificial colours and preservatives which can be harmful to our dog’s health.
5. Juice
Even though most fruit juices aren’t toxic for your dog, they can be full of sugar, artificial colours and preservatives which aren’t good for your dog. It’s best to feed your dog whole fruits because they’re full of vitamins.
Never give your dog grape juice. Grapes are extremely toxic for dogs and can lead to kidney failure.
Talk to your vet about what juices are safe for your dog in small quantities.
6. Cow’s milk
Most adult dogs are lactose intolerant which means if they consume too much dairy it could cause stomach pain, gas, vomiting and diarrhoea. Lactose intolerance does vary between dogs, some dogs may tolerate it more than others, so it’s best to only let them have cow’s milk in small doses and monitor them to see if they develop any of these symptoms.
7. Chocolate milk
Any form of chocolate is toxic for dogs, including chocolate milk. This is because chocolate contains a substance called methylxanthines (like caffeine) which is poisonous to dogs. Many adult dogs are lactose intolerant which means they find it difficult digesting milk which can lead to gas and discomfort. If dogs consume chocolate milk they can experience vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive drooling, hyperactivity, seizures and death.
8. Drinks with added salt, sugar and artificial sweeteners
Any drink which contains added salt, sugar or artificial sweeteners should be avoided. These ingredients aren’t good for your dog and can lead to excess weight gain. Watch out for Xylitol, which is an artificial sweetener which is extremely toxic for dogs. When dogs eat Xylitol it’s quickly absorbed into their bloodstream and may result in the release of insulin from the pancreas which can cause hypoglycemia which can quickly become life threatening.
There you have it, 8 drinks you should avoid giving your dog. If they do accidentally consume any of these drinks please call your vet straight away for advice.