My Dog Ate a Teabag: What Now?
Many dogs who eat tea bags will show no symptoms afterward. However, for some dogs (particularly small ones) there is a risk of serious illness and even death if they are left untreated. These are some of the symptoms that act as warning signs that all may not be well.
If your dog has eaten teabags containing caffeine, then you may see signs of caffeine toxicity. You will usually see these signs within an hour or two of them eating the teabag.
Early, milder signs include:
If they have ingested enough caffeine, then they may show more serious symptoms. The more advanced signs of caffeine toxicity include:
You may notice twitching, trembling, or shaking. They may not be able to stand properly or seem wobbly when they try to walk.
This may not cause any obvious signs from the outside, but irregular heart rhythms can cause sudden death if left untreated. They may also cause weakness, wobbliness, or sudden collapse.
You can count your pup’s heart rate by placing your hand on the left side of their chest, just behind their elbow. If you can feel more than 160 beats per minute, then your canine companion needs to see a veterinarian urgently.
Dogs who are having generalized seizures will lose consciousness and fall on their side. They will move their legs backward and forward in jerky, uncontrolled movements (sometimes called “paddling”) and often lose control of their bladder or bowels. This may only last a few seconds or may go on for much longer.
Dogs who have just had a seizure are very disorientated and will not behave as they normally would. There is a risk of them becoming aggressive and biting you, even if this is something that they would never normally do. If Fido is having a seizure, turn the lights off and keep quiet, but do not physically restrain them, and speak to them soothingly from a distance.
If your pup is showing any of these signs, then they need to see a veterinarian urgently. Even the milder signs may develop into the more serious ones, so always seek advice from your vet.
If Fido burned their mouth from licking or swallowing a teabag, the first sign is usually increased drooling. They may be quieter than normal and may paw at their face.
As time goes on, you may notice other signs, including:
Burns affecting the throat or stomach may also cause vomiting or regurgitation.
If the teabag swallwed causes a bowel obstruction, this will not become obvious immediately. The first sign of obstruction is usually vomiting, but this may not start for a day or two after they have swallowed the bag. Dogs will normally vomit their food back up, either straight after eating, or a few hours later.
Other signs of a bowel obstruction include:
What Should I Do If My Dog Eats a Teabag?
If your pup eats something they shouldn’t, the first thing to remember is don’t panic! Follow these simple steps to make sure they stay healthy.
Check to see if they have swallowed it. If your dog will allow it, open their mouth and gently check whether you can see the tea bag – they might just be holding it in their cheek. If so, you can gently remove it if as long as Fido allows it.
If the teabag was hot, offer them some cool water to drink. If your dog is at risk from burns from the teabag, then cooling their mouth may make them more comfortable and reduce the seriousness of the burns. However, you should not force your pup to drink – do not syringe water or place ice cubes in their mouth.
Find the box that the tea came in. To find out whether the tea is likely to be toxic, we need to look at the list of ingredients. Your veterinarian will want to know exactly what kind of tea was eaten, so be sure to find the box.
Call your veterinarian. Whenever Fido swallows something unusual you should speak to your veterinarian for advice. This is particularly important if the tea contained caffeine or was an unusual sort of herbal tea (or if you are not sure about either of these things). Your vet will ask you about the type of tea, and how many bags were consumed, so be sure to have the box to hand so you can let them know.
You may be able to find suggestions online on how to make dogs vomit, but we would not recommend that you try these, as they are unreliable and some can be dangerous. Trying these kinds of things will also delay getting any treatment they need from a vet.
What Should I do if My Dog Eats a Tea Bag?
Be it caffeinated or decaffeinated, never ever give them the actual tea bags as there are possibilities that they might choke on them. There is another possibility where the swallowed tea bags can obstruct your dog’s intestinal tract and can be life threatening. And, especially if you drink caffeinated tea, make sure you leave your used/unused tea bags in a place where your dog cannot reach them. So, if your dog ate your green tea bag, immediately seek medical attention immediately, especially for smaller pups. With a large dog, depending on its health, you can still induce vomiting and provide immediate relief but that is not the case with the small ones. But we would still recommend taking them to a vet.
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Dogs can drink most types of tea in moderate quantities without ill-effects. But, dogs do not need tea.
And, some added ingredients in tea can harm our dogs. For instance, if tea is sweetened with xylitol, or with a milk substitute that contains xylitol.
Plus, hot tea can burn your dog’s mouth. So, if you are offering them plain tea, make sure it is cold.
Over 6.5 tons of leaves from the tea plant Camellia sinensis are brewed and enjoyed worldwide every year, making it the most widely consumed drink after water.
On any given day, 159 million people in America – more than half of the population – enjoys a drink of tea.
Unlike a lot of countries where tea is enjoyed hot though, American love their tea iced. 75 – 80% of all tea in the U.S. is served chilled.
There’s also a lot of demand for herbal ‘teas’ made by steeping the leaves or flowers of other plants in hot water.
Different teas – hot, cold, black, green, herbal – all have the potential to affect dogs differently.
So we’ll look at whether each is safe in turn. Starting with the most widely drunk, which is black tea.
Black tea is brewed from leaves of the tea plant, which have been allowed to wilt and oxidize before they’re dried.
The oxidation process turns them from green to black. It also increases the amount of tannins in the leaves, which give black teas their slightly bitter taste.
Lots of studies have been carried out to try and measure the health benefits of black tea for humans.
But they haven’t been replicated in dogs, so we don’t know whether dogs can gain any benefit from drinking black tea.
However, most dog owners are more worried about one particular risk to dogs from drinking tea.