Again and again one hears that peppers are poisonous for dogs. Other dog owners occasionally feed them peppers. Here you can find out what’s involved and whether you can really give your dog peppers to eat.
In a nutshell: Can my dog eat peppers?
Yes, your dog may occasionally eat ripe peppers. You can feed them raw and cooked form. Make sure you only feed them small amounts of peppers. As an alternative, numerous other types of vegetables are suitable, such as carrots, cucumbers or boiled potatoes.
However, you should not feed the stalk of the peppers due to its high solanine content. Always give preference to the red pepper, which has the lowest solanine content.
Are peppers poisonous to your dog?
Just like aubergines, tomatoes and potatoes, the pepper belongs to the nightshade family. Nightshades in particular are known to contain solanine.
This solanine is slightly toxic to humans. Likewise for the dog.
This can result in diarrhea, nausea and vomiting in your four-legged friend.
Foods that contain solanine can lead to impairment of the nervous system. These include muscle tension and cramps. Excessive amounts of solanine can damage the intestinal lining, causing bloody diarrhea.
It can also lead to breathing disorders, unconsciousness and paralysis.
Now, before you panic, I want to tell you that this is only the case if we or your dog eat huge amounts of peppers and other nightshade plants.
As you already know, there are three colored varieties of peppers for sale: red, yellow, and green. Unripe peppers contain the highest dose of solanine. For this reason, the paprika is conditionally suitable for your dog. By no means should you feed too much of it.
Also, never give your dog pepperoni or chillies. These are related to paprika, but are taboo for dogs due to their spiciness.
Reading tip: You can eat eggplant with dogs? Find out more in our article on Can Dogs Eat Aubergines and discover what you need to know about your furry friends’ tolerance of this vegetable.
What to do if your dog ate too much peppers (poisoning)
If your dog stole the peppers from the table and ate too much of them, watch him closely. Although you have the opportunity to wait for potential signs of poisoning (in the first half hour).
Or you can play it safe and inform your trusted veterinarian. If you take him directly to the vet, he will make your four-legged friend vomit.
However, it is important that this happens within an hour after your dog has eaten the peppers, so that the vet injects an agent that causes vomiting.
The reason for this is that the chewed peppers are no longer contained in the stomach by then. As a result, your dog would only spit up stomach acid when vomiting. This is not only completely uncomfortable, but can also cause internal injuries.
You have another option and that is to feed them charcoal tablets. If you want to do this, discuss it with your veterinarian or animal health practitioner.
Activated charcoal can be a natural first-aid measure in the event of poisoning, as can be the case, for example, with too much paprika.
However, it is important that you choose the right dosage. To do this, you need to know your dog’s weight so that you can then calculate the correct amount.
You can get charcoal tablets for this in the drugstore, online or in the pharmacy. They are natural based.
The activated carbon it contains has the ability to bind toxins. Your dog will be able to pass these during the next bowel movement.
Don’t be surprised if it’s black, that’s because of the color of the pills. You should also make sure that your dog drinks a lot, otherwise the activated charcoal can cause constipation.
Activated charcoal tablets tip:
If you’ve consulted with your vet and you’ve decided that you can give activated charcoal tablets, then I recommend covering them with some liverwurst. This way your dog swallows them straight down and doesn’t leave the pills lying around. So far, the trick has always worked for my dog.
You should keep this in mind when feeding peppers
Make sure to buy organically grown peppers whenever possible. These are untreated and therefore healthier than sprayed ones.
To avoid the problem of too high a solanine content, you should always feed red peppers. Yellow peppers are also possible, but because they are not quite ripe, they may contain more solanine.
You can give the peppers raw or sauté them briefly. Cooking is also possible. This is how you avoid choking on the bowl, especially with dogs that gulp down their food.
Conclusion: Can your dog eat peppers?
Yes, you can feed your dog a small amount of peppers. Make sure it’s really just a little, because too much of it can cause poisoning due to the solanine it contains.