It is natural for us to share foods and drinks with our best friends and especially our pets. Without knowing the harmful effect that could possibly be upon your furry friend, you tried to feed them something that was delicious for you but dangerous for them. We must acknowledge that some pets might find some snacks or food of ours delicious and some might not.
Some might find it delicious but didn’t know the deadly side effect that is going to happen to them after they have eaten it. Coffee is a source of energy for every adult needed to be able to get up and work every day. But, it might be the opposite for our pets.
It is just a natural instinct of a dog or cat to be curious about something their owner eats or drinks. Thus, you should read this article carefully and understand why you cannot let your pets consume coffee.
Contents
Why Coffee is Dangerous to Your Pet
Our pets have less understanding when it comes to eating and drinking. All they think about is filling their belly and that is the reason why in some developing countries where trash and harmful chemicals are not kept properly, the dogs and cats come and eat those remnants causing them to get food poisoning and die.
But in your home, there is also food that could pose a potential threat to your pets. Caffeine is one of the most dangerous chemicals to most pets. That includes coffee beans, coffee grounds, tea bags, and some type of energy or sports drinks that include caffeine inside.
Some of us might start our day with a morning cup of coffee to stimulate our consciousness to stay awake. However, our pet doesn’t need this stimulation to go through their day with coffee as well. Our pets are more sensitive when they consume coffee or energy drinks. This means that when they consume caffeine beverages, it can elevate blood pressure, elevated body temperature, and increase their heart rates.
What Happen When Your Pet Consumed Coffee
The caffeine toxicity will depend on what type of food or beverages that your pet consumed. Beverages with a high concentration of caffeine can be very dangerous for them as well as coffee grounds and beans are also dangerous if they are mistakenly eaten raw. Note that a lick or two is not typical to trigger this toxicity. But if they did consume a plentiful amount of it that’s another story.
Another factor is the size of your pet. If you take dogs, for example, small dogs such as Pomeranians and Chihuahuas are small in size and the dog’s weight is relatively light, which means, if they consumed ground coffee or coffee beans it could potentially give them life-threatening signs. On the other hand, large dogs such as the German Shepherd or The Great Dane, are less likely to be life-threatening but would still be very sick.
If your pet did consume caffeine by any chance, there are symptoms of caffeine poisoning that a pet owner should keep an eye on. Within 1-2 hours, the common signs of caffeine poisoning are mild to severe hyperactivity, restlessness, vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms, elevated body temperature, elevated heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat. The severe signs that you happen to your pet are collapse, tremors, and seizures.
Act Fast
If you suspect your pets have ingested any type of caffeine beverages or product and saw any mild signs, you should contact the veterinarian immediately. They will recommend you to observe your pet for any serious symptoms of caffeine poisoning and call back if their condition worsens.
The veterinarian can help force your dogs to vomit within a few hours after your pet has ingested caffeine. They could also give dogs activated charcoal to get rid of the toxin without getting absorbed into the bloodstream.
In case of encountering severe cases such as collapse, tremors, and seizures, you should contact the nearest emergency facility and take your pet there immediately. Medication treatment will be needed to lower blood pressure, treat seizures, and stabilize any irregular heartbeats.
How to Prevent This Incident
To prevent this from ever happening in your household, you do not have to stop drinking coffee. Instead, you have to keep caffeine products such as coffee grounds, beans, and caffeine products away from the reach of your pets. In case your morning brewed coffee, you have to put it in a secure place where it is not easily knocked over or spilled. Having your dogs drink coffee as well as other pets will make them very ill and in the worst-case scenario, it can affect their lives.
Another method is to train your dog with the command to make them stop or be able to differentiate between what they can or cannot eat. Having them learn these commands from a young age is also ideal to prevent it from happening. Moreover, as pet owners, you should also understand and be educated about poison control and its treatment as well. Setting the pet poison helpline in your contact book will help you find their number fast in case of an emergency.
Key Takeaways
Pet owners should be very careful with what they are feeding their pets as well as administer what they are going to eat. Coffee is one of the dangerous foods that could make your pet very sick. The severity of caffeine varies by what type of food or beverages that your pet consumed. Coffee grounds and beans can provide a potential risk of death for your pets as well as coffee beverages.
The severity of the side effects that your pet can get also depends on the size of your pet. If you suspect your pet has eaten caffeine-related food or beverages, make you monitor them for any symptoms with the help of the veterinarian. In the worst-case scenario, you have to contact the nearest hospital for treatment as soon as possible.
To prevent this incident from happening to your best friend, you should be educated about what coffee can affect your pet. Also, learn the symptoms of caffeine poisoning. Even if your dog has not consumed caffeine food, you cannot be too sure because they can come back from the outside eating something there, which they could mistakenly eat any caffeine drink or food.
Thus, every pet owner should understand the symptoms that your pet could have after consuming coffee. Moreover, having a pet poison helpline somewhere that is easy to find is effective in case something does happen, they might be able to provide you with some steps to follow before going to the vet. So, all pet owners should take care of their pets carefully so that they do not eat anything that could pose a threat to them.
References:
- IS CAFFEINE POISONOUS TO DOGS? | Pet Poison Helpline
- Can Dogs Drink Coffee? | American Kennel Club | Kaitlyn Arford
- Dogs Drinking Coffee: Is Caffeine Safe for Dogs? | Dog-Eared
- Caffeine Toxicity in Pets | VCA | Renee Schmid, DVM & Ahna Brutlag, DVM, MS, DABT, DABVT Pet Poison Helpline; Lynn Buzhardt, DVM
- 5 Things in Your Kitchen That Can Kill Pets | Nationwide PetHealthZone
Check out: Is Caffeine Safe for Pets? What to do if your pet has caffeine By CaffeineMan