Can Dogs Drink Tea?

Okay, if you're like me, dogs are everything in your life. Man's best friend. As far as I am concerned, they make the ultimate companion. If you have had a bad day in the office, your car has broken down or you lost a billion pounds, coming home to a dog will always make it better. That means we always want to treat them treats for being such good doggos! A leftover piece of meat, a squeaky toy or even a nice stick to fetch. But given BRUU is a tea company, we wondered, is it safe for dogs to drink tea?

Personal History

I would like to start with the story of my first dog. A chocolate labrador called George. AKA Master Thief - The Napoleon of kitchen crime. This dog could steal anything. He stole oven cooking trays and wooden spoons, even Tabasco. He adored the hot spicy sauce. It quickly became his favourite. 

The truth is, we were using it so he WOULDN'T eat things. We were told to put drops of tabasco on things but it just encouraged him all the more. 

So is it safe to give dogs human foods? Well, not all human foods are safe for dog consumption, but many are. Foods like meat, vegetables and grains are generally okay in moderation. Make sure to consult a vet first if you're unsure.

Is tea safe for dogs?

The answer is no. Tea is not safe for dogs. Most teas contain caffeine, which is a stimulant. Dogs are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than people. A couple of laps of tea or coffee are unlikely to do any harm, but if your dog swallows a handful of coffee beans or tea bags they could be in danger. Signs and treatment of caffeine poisoning are similar to chocolate toxicity.

On that note, some of our teas also contain chocolate chips. Chocolate contains the ingredient methylxanthines. This stops a metabolic status which will result in diarrhoea and vomiting. Larger quantities of chocolate can lead to worse outcomes such as psoriasis, irregular heartbeat and even death! We cannot stress enough how important it is to never feed chocolate to a dog.