What Are the Symptoms of Dogs That Ate Coffee Grounds?
The symptoms of caffeine toxicity will depend on the amount eaten or drunk and the size of your dog. A couple of laps of tea or coffee would be unlikely to cause much harm to most dogs, especially if they’re large. However, every dog reacts differently to caffeine, so you should always seek advice from a veterinarian to be sure.
Coffee grounds are much more concentrated than tea leaves, so if your dog ate coffee grounds it is likely to cause problems. Coffee grounds and other high-caffeine foodstuffs can even be fatal to dogs. If your dog has eaten some coffee beans, chewed on a coffee pod or K-cup, or even licked some coffee grounds, you should contact your veterinary clinic for advice immediately. This advice is the same if they have eaten any caffeinated foodstuff such as energy drinks, candy bars, human medication, or diet pills.
Symptoms usually come on within 1–2 hours of ingestion and are usually related to the fact that caffeine is a stimulant. Symptoms include:
How Much Coffee is Dangerous to Dogs?
Caffeine is more poisonous to dogs that are elderly or have underlying problems. Smaller dogs will also struggle with small amounts of caffeine whereas larger dogs do not. A medium-sized dog that ate enough coffee grounds to make an espresso is likely to experience symptoms—just a couple of teaspoons worth. Smaller dogs can die from eating as little as 1–2 diet pills.
Help, My Dog Ate Coffee Grounds!
If your dog ate coffee grounds, you need to stay calm and call your vet, emergency clinic, or the Pet Poison Help Center. Then, you will explain the situation while providing as much information as possible.
Based on the information you give, the vet will be able to give clear instructions on what to do. In case the ingestion occurred within the last two hours you may be instructed to induce vomiting.
However, many vets find this to be a tricky scenario and prefer to do it once you arrive at the clinic. Regardless, after calling the vet, your main tasks are to stay calm and follow the given instructions.