Hey everybody, Caffeine Man here, and today I'm going to answer the question, "Is caffeine safe for pets?"
And before I go any further, I just want to say that if you found this video because you
just did a search because your pet just ingested caffeine and you want to know what to do,
do not watch the rest of this video.
The short answer is, No, caffeine is not safe for pets, so please call your local vet or
local animal hospital right away.
do not watch this video, no i'm serious, please go and please call your veterinarian or local
animal hospital right away.
Now, for the rest of you, who are just curious about the topic "Is caffeine safe for your pets?"
the slightly longer answer is coming right up.
INTRO: C *THUD* M *THUD*
*LIGHTNING STRIKE*
Thanks for joining me.
Today I am answering the question, "Is caffeine safe for pets."
Now, how did this topic come up?
Well, when I first started talking to my friends and let them know I was going to start a channel
on all things caffeine related, they all started bombarding me questions.
How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee?
How much caffeine is in a cup of tea?
And one of my friends asked, "Is caffeine safe for pets?"
Before I could even answer, my other friend asked, "Why would you want to give caffeine to your pet?"
A very valid question.
But my friend went on to explain that what he meant by it was, that if they accidentally ingested
caffeine, would that be ok?
And thus, a very good question that made a lot of sense.
Now, most dog owners know that their dog shouldn't have certain things.
Chocolate, for example, is toxic to dogs and there are several other things such as grapes
and raisins and a few other foods they shouldn't have.
But, what about caffeine?
We know chocolate is bad, but what if they had some chocolate covered espresso beans
that just happened to be left out?
What if you left out some coffee on the coffee table, ironically enough, and your pet decided
to drink it all?
What if your cat liked the look of this cool tea infuser and mug, which you can find in
the description box below if you want one for yourself, and decided to finish off the
tea you didn't finish?
What happens if they smell the sweet taste of coconut Red Bull and want to try it for themselves?
No, they can't have it, its mine!
Or what if you have a new puppy that is teething and he likes to get into things and he accidentally
gets into your caffeine pills?
Well, the answer, as you already know from the intro is "No, caffeine is not safe for pets."
But what happens if they consume it?
You can usually see symptoms within 30 to 60 minutes of them consuming it.
Symptoms to watch for include restlessness, agitation, hyperactivity, vomiting, and excessive panting.
As the toxicity progresses, they could shake and have a seizure.
You may even be able to feel their heart racing if you put your hand on their chest.
Clinical symptoms can last for six to twelve hours depending on the dose of caffeine consumed.
How much is too much caffeine?
Symptoms begin to occur at about 9 mg per pound of the pet.
Severe illness and all those bad symptoms will start to show at about 20 mg/pound.
Seizures and death can possibly occur once they hit 70mgs/pound.
And this little guy, a 10 pound chihuahua named Remy, he would start to show symptoms
at around 90mgs of caffeine...(good boy)...90 mgs could be around an 8 ounce cup of coffee
on average, and little Remy would get really sick once he got close to the 200 mgs mark,
which could be 2 cups of coffee, a 5-hour energy (which I doubt he'd drink the whole
thing because they taste kind of *meh sound*) or even just one caffeine pill.
He would probably have a seizure or die if he hit 750mgs.
I mean if 200mgs makes him severely ill, I'd hate to see him anywhere near 750.
Now, please keep in mind that these numbers are just a guideline.
Just like people, pets caffeine sensitivity can vary from pet to pet.
Additionally, medical conditions in pets aren’t always diagnosed as quickly as they are with humans.
A pet can have a heart condition for several months, even a year, before they show outward
symptoms.Therefore just like a human with a heart condition, a pet with a heart condition
would have an even more severe reaction to the caffeine.
And like I said, these numbers are just for general reference.
There might be some of you out there who would say, “Well, I have a 100 pound dog, he could
have 900 mgs before he even feels sick, thats more than I usually have.”
And to those people I say, "HEY!
Don’t give your dog caffeine! It's not good for him.
Give him a treat. Give him some beef jerky.
Give him a chicken stick. Give him something he'd actually like.
There's no need for him to have caffeine.
It's bad for him.
And most things that have caffeine in them don't really taste that good to dogs so give him something he will actually like."
-Dog Interruption- What are you doing?
Do you want to be in the video too?
huh?
I'll give you a 5 second spot in the video.
I'll give you 5 seconds.
Maybe 10 seconds because Remy got longer.
Good girl.
What do you do if your pet did accidentally ingest caffeine?
The first thing you should do is call your vet or call your local animal hospital.
If you have a problem reaching anyone of those two, you can also contact the 24/7 Animal Poison Control Center.
Their phone number is (855) 764-7661.
I'll include the number on the screen and in the description box below as well as a
link to their website where I got some of this information.
You'll definitely be able to find someone there who can answer all your qeustions and
point you in the right direction as to what you should do next.
If you are in dire straights, and need to do something immediately, vets recommend inducing vomiting.
Note: I am not a vet, I am not a doctor, I have no medical experience what-so-ever.
All I can tell you is that I did extensive research online, so this information is taken
from several veterinarian web sites and animal hospitals.You should always contact a professional
for their medical advice.
To induce vomiting, one of the easiest ways is by using 3% hydrogen peroxide.
You can use about a teaspoon and give it to them orally.
Make sure the 3% hydrogen peroxide is active, meaning it should bubbly and fizzing.
If the pet is a little bit stubborn to take it, try putting it on some bread, this will
help them ingest the hydrogen peroxide and may improve vomiting efficiency, which can help push out the caffeine.
If you have any pet sedatives at home, this will help calm the pet, and if you have any
anti-acids like pepcid or gaviscon, this will help with their upset stomach.
But be sure to always use pet safe amounts because pets will always use less than what humans consume.
Definitely keep them well hydrated, the more fluids that go through their system the faster
the caffeine will get pushed out.
If you have a pet that needs to be walked, like a dog, be sure to take them on frequent
walks so they can flush their system out.
If you have access to an I.V., which I know most people don't but some people do have,
because they have had to treat their pets for medical conditions, and needed an I.V.
you can give your pet fluids that way which will definitely help flush their system out faster,
but like I said, always contact a medical professional first.
Overall, caffeine is bad for pets.
If your pet has accidentally ingested caffeine, contact your local vet or animal hospital
right away and if you can't get anyone immediately look in the description box below for the 24/7 hotline.
As always, if you feel like your learned something today feel free to hit the like button and
if want to stay informed on all things caffeine related, hit the subscribe button.
I upload new videos every Tuesday night and hope you can join me.
Thanks for joining me today and have a great day.
(talking to dog) You want some Red Bull?
You want some Red Bull?
No.
You can't have any Red Bull.
No you can't have Red Bull.
*dog whines*