Is caffeine poisonous to dogs?
What it’s in:
Caffeine is most commonly found in coffee, coffee grounds, tea, used tea bags, soda, energy drinks and diet pills. Theobromine, a cousin chemical to caffeine is also found chocolate (see chocolate).
Threat to pets:
Pets are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than people are. While 1-2 laps of coffee, tea or soda will not contain enough caffeine to cause poisoning in most pets, the ingestion of moderate amounts of coffee grounds, tea bags or 1-2 diet pills can easily cause death in small dogs or cats.
Signs of caffeine poisoning:
Within 1-2 hours of exposure: mild to severe hyperactivity, restlessness, vomiting, tachycardia (elevated heart rate), hypertension (elevated blood pressure), abnormal heart rhythms, tremors, hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) seizures, and collapse.
Treatment:
Induce vomiting and give multiple doses activated charcoal to decontaminate. Aggressive IV fluids to help with excretion, sedatives to calm the pet, specific heart medications to reduce the heart rate and blood pressure, anti-convulsants for seizures, antacids (such as Pepcid) for stomach discomfort and diarrhea. Caffeine may be reabsorbed across the bladder wall so a urinary catheter or frequent walks are needed to keep the bladder empty.
Prognosis:
Excellent in pets with mild signs of poisoning (such as slight restlessness or a minimally elevated heart rate). Poor in those with severe signs of poisoning such as collapse and seizures.
Published on September 23, 2011
Categorized under: Pet Safety Tips
Extremely helpful; I hope my dog survives it because he is the best thing that’s happened to me.thank you
[...] fact that caffeine, a prominent chemical in coffee, is a well-known and serious toxin in dogs makes the notion of coffee enemas in these species even more insane, if that is [...]
I lost my best little friend 2 days ago, a 3 1/2 year old Pomeranian, to Caffeine Poisoning. It was devastating.
hi this is jodi hunt, i have two little pomerians, one 3 and a half, the other is 4. one of them loves coffee to death and drink it if i leave a cup lying around, i supposedly to remember its to make sure to pick up before i leave it lying around. however, im sorry to hear about your little pomerian. Was there poison in the coffee or it was a normal coffee? thanks
My dog drank some of my vitamin water that I spilled. It has 87mg of caffeine in it. She only had about 3 or 4 laps of it. Should I worry? She is a 15 pound shihtzu.
When in doubt, ALWAYS call our 800-213-6680 phone number, as these comments are managed by our web manager, not by a veterinarian! This can be poisonous, depending on the size of your pet!
my dog drank a cup of coffee and about an hour after he had a fit he hasnt had anymore this was yesterday but is ok today do i need to take him to the vet he is a german shepheard 3 years old
Hi Jayne,
Since we are not always able to check our website daily for comments, we suggest you save our Hotline number (800-213-6680) so that you can have immediate access to veterinarians at any time. We hope that your dog is doing well.
Pet Poison Helpline
[...] effects of these substances than humans are. Ingesting even small amounts makes dogs vulnerable to caffeine poisoning, which can cause hyperactivity, panting, elevated heart rate, tremors, seizures and collapse. Seek [...]
My 5 pound 3 month old puppy had a few laps of my coffee about an hour and a half ago… She has a rapid heart beat and is sleepy, but still alert. Should I call the vet?
Hi Mutt Lover,
Since there can be a delay from when a comment is posted until we see it, we suggest that you always call our 24/7 Helpline (800-213-6680) or your veterinarian in the event of a potential poisoning. The sooner you call, the easier, less expensive, and safer it is to treat your pet. Hope your puppy is doing OK and if you start to notice any unusual behavior, please give us or your veterinarian a call.
Pet Poison Helpline
Our 4 pound 10 month old Maltese opened a tea bag
and ingested a lot around 4:30 pm. She seems so hyper and I am very worried. Should I take her to the Animal Hospital ?
Please call our 800-213-6680 number as it is available 24/7. Teabags can be very poisonous, especially to a small dog. These comments are not revewied daily, and it’s not worth changing your dog’s health and life waiting for a response.
on tues jan 15th my dog ate a 12 oz bag of fresh coffee grounds. we took him to the animal hospital near us. Thank God i did or he would have died. The doctors there said he was in very serious condition, his heart rate was 200, he was pre seizure and very out of it.. his eyes were fully glazed over he had no idea where he was. They induced vomiting and put him on IV. it was a rough 24hrs. I have had einstien for 12 yrs. I could not face the world without him. I stayed at the hospital for 6hrs. until they said he needs to just rest . I went home and cried. and prayed. the next moring I called , he was doing ok.. !!! I rushed up to see him but he still did not know me yet.. it told 2 full days for him to know me and to get somewhat better. it is now day 4 and he is home and HAPPY to say doing fine.. hopefully no lnog term effects.. Please note my dog ahs eaten many, many things over the 12 yrs. but NEVER NEVER had anything like this near death experience as with the coffee.. please watch your animals..
My 6 year old golden doodle got a small bag of coffee grinds from a travel bag I had on the counter and chewed a small corner and made more of a mess than anything with it but he had to have eaten some because about 3 hours after we came home the dog acted as if he was drunk – swaying side to side, tripping over everything, scared, unaware what was going on, almost fell down the stairs and was whinning alot. Not to mention the foul smell and white drool. My other dog stayed close to help – so they both stunk! When he finally came through he had some water and went out for a BIG bowel movement and pee and had a bath and was fine! BUT yes it was very scary for us all. It happened once before but it was outside so we thought he was stung by a bee – I guess now we know – It could have been chocolate the last time but Caffeine is definitely out of sight and up high from now on! Take care of those fur balls of love
Hope this can help someone else out. That is why I am sharing.
[...] The final ingredient is “green tea extract”. One to two laps of coffee or tea is enough to cause caffeine poisoning in dogs. [...]