What to Do if Your Dog Eats Coffee Grounds

Even the best-trained dogs might be tempted by the food we leave out. While it might be annoying, a little bit of your sandwich or late-night snack will probably not be too harmful to your dogs. However, if they get into your morning brew or your dog eats coffee grounds, it can result in caffeine poisoning.

There are steps to take if your dog has eaten coffee grounds or your dog drunk coffee. Let’s take a look!

First Steps

The first thing to do if your dog ate coffee is to immediately call the Pet Poison Helpline or call a veterinarian. Caffeine will have different effects depending on a dog’s weight. So, small dogs are more susceptible than big dogs. Your vet or an animal poison control hotline can help calculate whether or not you need to worry about serious toxicity.

• Pet Poison Helpline – 855-746-7661 (A $75 incident fee applies)
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center – 888-426-4435 (Consultation fee may apply)

You can also take your dog to the nearest emergency animal hospital for assistance.

How Bad Are Coffee Grounds for Dogs?

Due to their potent stimulating characteristics, large amounts of coffee ground are incredibly bad for our canine friends. You might notice elevated body temperature and hyperactivity if your dog eats coffee grounds.

Caffeine and coffee are in the methylxanthine family and occur naturally. You might have other things lying around your home that are also a part of this chemical family. This includes tea bags, caffeine pills, diet pills, energy drinks, chocolate, and soda. Please keep all of these items out of your dog’s reach for their safety!

What Happens When Dogs Have Caffeine?

Humans like to drink coffee for an energy boost! While they have a similar experience, a dog’s body cannot process caffeine the same way we do. They might have a bigger boost, leading to caffeine poisoning.

Besides being energized, if your dog eats coffee grounds, they can be detrimentally overstimulated. Caffeine toxicity in dogs can cause elevated blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, and even start to shut down their organs and eventually the central nervous system.

Caffeine Toxicity

The American College of Veterinary Pharmacists tells us that most pets will get sick at 63 mg of caffeine per pound.

So if your pup drinks a few swallows of your morning cup of coffee, they will probably be fine! However, if a small 15-pound dog has more than 3 teaspoons of grounds, they will start showing signs of poisoning, and could get very sick if they eat 10 or more teaspoons of coffee grounds.

Signs of Caffeine Poisoning

Signs of caffeine poisoning can include gastrointestinal, behavioral, neurological, and cardiovascular symptoms. Symptoms usually start after 30 minutes and can last up to 12 hours or more.

Symptoms include:

Gastrointestinal:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite

Behavioral

• Restlessness
• Hyperactivity
• Vocalization

Neurological

• Ataxia
• Tremors
• Seizures
• Coma

Cardiovascular

• Tachycardia
• Bradycardia
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Hypertension
• Death

Other signs

• Polydipsia
• Polyuria
• Lethargy
• Hyperthermia

The best way to avoid this situation is to keep your coffee grounds in a place where your dog can’t get to and if your dog does get to them, call your vet first.

How Veterinarians Treat Caffeine Poisoning

• Your veterinarian might have different recommendations depending on the size and caffeine toxicity symptoms your dog is showing. They might have owners monitor their dog’s condition and call or come in only if it gets worse. However, some vets might want to see them right away. If your dog eats coffee grounds or coffee beans, your vet can safely induce vomiting and stop any toxicity within a few hours. Inducing vomiting slows and stops toxicity, but should only be done by a vet! Never try it at home. Activated charcoal is another tool vets use to stop the absorption of caffeine into their bloodstream. Fluids and medication might be given depending on your dog’s symptoms.

How to Prevent Your Dog From Drinking Coffee

• To prevent your dog from drinking coffee or eating coffee grounds, make sure to keep those items out of reach. Chocolate, coffee beans, and chocolate espresso beans need to be safely put away where your dog cannot reach them. Your morning coffee cup with its tempting creamer should not be placed where your dog can lick it. Unused coffee grounds should not be placed where they can get knocked over. Some pups might even try to get used coffee grounds out of the trash, so have a good, covered trash can. Anyone with a retriever knows how dedicated they are to finding special treats in the garbage! Be sure that the whole family is on board to keep your furry family member safe. Teaching your dog a solid ‘leave it” command as a foundation will help them from getting into things that they shouldn’t, including coffee!