Tea for dogs - the ultimate guide
Forget humans, the real question here is, ‘can dogs drink tea?’.
Drinking a lot of tea has been in our culture for thousands of years and it’s an excellent substitute for coffee.
Of course – a cup of tea is a good substitute for water on a regular basis, but there is a little more we need to understand before we serve it to our best friends.
In addition to being a soothing drink, dog tea has many benefits for your dog’s health. As a dog owner, the best part of your job is to maintain the quantity of tea to avoid caffeine harmfulness for your best friend.
There are a few substitutes to regular tea, such as herbal teas, which is the best way to prevent your dog’s health.
Why should dogs drink tea?
Camellia Sinensis plant is the primary origin of all teas, containing significant caffeine, which will be a recurring theme of this article.
Ultimately, decaf tea is the safest option for dogs drinking tea.
Drinking tea could be very good for your pets. It can help your pets in many ways, as it has antioxidants, easing, and calming properties.
When is tea therapy needed for Dogs?
We have discussed above how teas can be helpful to your dogs in different ways and how some of the best tea available can protect them from various diseases.
So can dogs drink tea to get the same health benefits as us?
Antioxidants can help to protect from many types of tumours like dog stomach cancer.
Green teas have succeeded in protecting the body from cancer and abdominal pain, and it kills those molecules which can harm the DNA
Green teas have succeeded in protecting the body from cancer and abdominal pain, and it kills those molecules which can harm the DNA.
Green tea leaves can clean the spots on the body and ears.
For this purpose, pet owners need to cool down the tea.
Small amounts of Green tea could enhance the immune system and help a sickly dog boost its resistance against the disease, like preventing tooth decay.
What to do if your dog likes drinking tea?
What happens if you drink tea and your dog slinked into your cup and has a sip and still wants more?
You need to opt for small doses, as there’s a good chance drinking tea is new to your furry friend.
If your Dogs drink tea, you should try to keep this as an occasional treat, as their bodies may not be as used to some of the effects, such as tea being a diuretic, so there is a small risk attached for increased urination etc.
What Dose of Tea Can My Dog Drink?
Research says that if a dog has taken small quantities – about 9 milligrams of caffeine compared to 1 pound of the dog’s actual weight, then the dog will start to show adverse symptoms, even at a few extra milligrams of caffeine.
Anything beyond this dose, your dog may show symptoms such as high blood pressure, vomiting, or an upset stomach.
Green tea is one to be wary of, as many turn to Green Tea for its health benefits, but many do not realize it is quite high in caffeine compared to many other herbal teas.
If your dog is overweight, you can mix diet pills with a small amount of tea for weight loss.
Teas such as Red Rooibos and Lavender tea being particularly good for weight loss.
Red Rooibos is also caffeine-free, which removes the above risk.
Is Caffeine Toxic For Dogs?
You can see trace amounts of caffeine used in many food and drink items and ingestion of moderate amounts is unlikely to harm your dog.
There are different effects of caffeine that you may see in your furry friends.
Here are a few manifestations of caffeine toxicity in dogs if you let them drink too much caffeine.
There are different signs of caffeine poisoning as a pet owner, and you need to be vigilant if giving your canine companion caffeine.
- Your pet will feel restless
- Dog’s heartbeat will be an increase
- It can cause a high fever
- It will cause loose stools and an upset stomach
- High blood pressure
- Death can happen
Further reading on Dogs And Caffeine
Ultimately, a healthy dog who is not overweight is unlikely to have negative effects from a few sips of a caffeine-based drink.
But approach this with common sense – energy drinks and coffee grounds, etc are simply not healthy for dogs.
vcahospitals.com has some great guidance around caffeine ingestion for pets.
What is a good tea for dogs?
We can see hundreds of products on the market that claim that they are healthy, herbal tea, so researching products is key.
Below are some types of tea and tea blends that your dog can benefit from.
Soothing herbs are rich in antioxidants and don’t have any/much caffeine in them.
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint tea can be used as an aroma or (aromatherapy) oil for your dog to ease sinus discomfort or trouble breathing.
It can also help your dog with fresher breath, along with containing natural relaxing properties for stomach cramps and pains.
Ginger Tea
Since ginger is an excellent antioxidant, it will provide the immune system a great strength and help maintain blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Ginger tea is a great allrounder for natural boosts in health and immunity.
Red Rooibos Tea
While Rooibos tea is also rich in antioxidants, it helps with cardiac diseases and diabetes, as well as skin problems.
Also known as Red Tea, Rooibos is caffeine-free, so a great choice if we are wanting to know – can dogs drink tea?
This way, you can make tea for your dog without the concerns around caffeine for your dogs’ health.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is best used to cure dogs’ digestive issues when mixed with ground herbs.
This tea is popular among humans for calming nerves and aiding in a restful night’s sleep, and many of these qualities are reported to benefit dogs too.
Perfect for anxious, hyperactive dogs, usually, Chamomile Tea is drunk in the evening.
- Read more about the Benefits of Chamomile Tea
Can dogs drink tea with milk, sugar, and honey?
Sugar
If you are going to add to your dog’s tea, make sure you add natural sugar from fruits.
Don’t add crystallized sugar; and even better, use artificial sweeteners.
It might cause diabetes or can harm the teeth of your beloved pets if you are using too much sugar over long periods.
Our advice? Best avoided.
Milk
Dogs can’t digest dairy products as easily as humans, so adding milk to tea is probably best avoided where possible.
That said, a small amount is unlikely to result in anything too negative.
Honey
Honey is okay if you have an adult dog, but it won’t be best for small dogs under three months old.
The main reason to add any of these to your dog’s tea is if the taste is too bitter and they will not drink it otherwise, missing out on the health benefits.
- Ever been curious about Giving CBD Oil to Dogs?
How to give tea to your dog?
So we now know that dogs drink tea, but there are many ways to serve tea to your dogs.
While we turn to cups of tea, this probably isn’t the best way to serve tea to your dog.
It may sound obvious, but your canine companion is familiar with a water bowl, so stick with this for the best chance of them drinking tea.
Tea bags or herbal tea leaves prepared with a strainer can be used.
Hot tea is fine in cold weather, but certainly not to be made with hot water from a kettle – room temperature is the safest option at any time of year.
Avoid serving your dog tea on an empty stomach.
Also – why not try an iced tea for your dog, to cool them down during a hot summer!
Benefits and drawbacks of teas for dogs?
Let’s finish off answering ‘Can Dogs Drink Tea?’, with an overview of the benefits and drawbacks;
Benefits
- Tea can prevent help dogs fight cancer
- It can help maintain a healthy heart rate
- Helps with a healthy immune system.
- It can help with diabetes and motion sickness
- It keeps your dog relaxed and calm
- Can help with more restful sleep
Drawbacks
If your dog drinks too much tea, it may result in severe cases of sickness or worse because of the presence of caffeine in certain teas.
Caffeine-free or low-caffeine tea will avoid serious health problems.
- Pets will feel restless after drinking it
- Large quantities of tea may cause dogs to vomit
- Heart rate will increase
- It can cause high body temperature if served too hot
- Blood pressure will be increased
- It can cause skin irritations
It can increase heart palpitations and even cause death
Can Dogs Drink Tea? Final Thoughts
Most diseases require antioxidants for the cure and this can be provided by teas.
Can human tea be given to dogs? Yes!
Still, dog owners should be careful before starting giving your pet a cup of herbal tea, and as you are now probably aware, caffeine free herbal teas (decaffeinated tea) are the safer option, with black tea quite high in caffeine.
