Is beer and wine toxic to dogs and cats?

Feb 12, 2019 | Pet Health, Pets

Is beer and wine toxic to dogs and cats?  The answer is YES!  

We may have all seen at one in point in our lives, whether in person or on video, of someone giving a dog alcohol.  I have never seen it in person and I always try to stay positive in my blogging but I have to be honest, I came across a picture of a  puppy being forced fed alcohol and it made me sick to my stomach.  

You should NEVER give your dog or cat wine or beer and here are the reasons why!  A dog’s kidneys can’t process alcohol and wine is made of grapes which are toxic to dogs.

  • Slowed movement or difficulty walking
  • Wild fluctuations in body temperature
  • Decrease in blood pressure
  • Seizures
  • Respiratory difficulty or failure
  • Vomiting
  • Weakness
  • Collapse
  • Drooling
  • Depression
  • Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
  • Hypotension (low blood pressure)
  • Hypothermia (low body temperature)
​But, can dogs drink beer — even if it’s in very small amounts? Absolutely not!  Beer or alcohol doesn’t even have to be poured in a glass or a bowl for alcoholic or ethanol-based food or drink to pose a real threat to your dog’s health. Dogs have displayed symptoms of alcohol poisoning and ethanol toxicity from things as simple as a rum cake, and from having absorbed wine or other alcohol through their skin when it’s been spilled on a carpet or couch. Eating uncooked dough containing yeast is also sufficient to provoke symptoms of poisoning in dogs.

*Pet Poison Helpline – 24/7 ANIMAL POISON CONTROL CENTER: (855) 764-7661*

Alcohol is poisonous to dogs, cats, horses, birds, and cows.  Alcohol is also found in surprising places including unbaked yeast bread dough and desserts made with alcohol. When pets ingest rising bread dough, alcohol from the fermenting yeast in the dough is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and can result in alcohol poisoning. 

Call the Animal Poison Control Center should you see any of these signs in an animal who has ingested alcohol.  

Photography by Thomas Domitrovich and thank you to Jake Domitrovich for being our model :-). 

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