Your Dog Drank Coffee, Now What?

Despite dogs being relatively open-minded, every pup parent has probably been confronted with a surprisingly long list of foods that are harmful to them.

There’s the classic chocolate, raisins, avocados, and caffeine in general and for the most part, you ensure they never ingest these foods, but there’s always the chance that they may. In this case, your pup unknowingly lapped a few sips of coffee and you either caught them or got a whiff of it from their breath. You know that coffee is toxic to dogs; what do you do now?

For starters, there’s a lot of caffeine in the average cup of coffee, about 96 mg, which is far too much for dogs to handle. Taking in their size, the effects will vary in intensity between small, medium, and large-sized dogs. Reports state that 150 mg of caffeine for every 2.2 pounds of weight represents a lethal dose. That being said, you can enjoy a cup of decaffeinated coffee with your dog.

Regarding caffeine poisoning, a few laps of coffee could make your dog sick, moreover, if they’re a small breed, you’d need to keep a close eye on them. The real danger arises if they’ve eaten coffee grounds, as they have a higher concentration of caffeine. If you suspect your dog to have consumed a significant concentration of coffee, they may show the following symptoms – agitation, vomiting, restlessness, and panting.

Contact your vet immediately so that they can evaluate the potential risk with an estimation of your dog’s weight.