Can dogs eat spicy food? Sure, however, they are unlikely to enjoy them as much as humans do. While dogs have a superior sense of smell, they lack the sheer number of taste buds than humans do, so they are unlikely to get the same satisfaction from eating spicy food.
The better question is, “Is chili powder bad for dogs?” and it is a definite “no”; it is likely to cause diarrhea more than anything else. Before you give your dog you should ask, “Can dogs handle spicy food?” and seriously debate giving your dog anything spicy.
Is Spice Bad For Dogs
Humans are weird animals on a number of levels. Plants produce spices usually to prevent themselves from being eaten; as such, animals avoid spices. Humans, however, actually enjoy some foods that are ostensibly bad for them, and unlike most animals actually enjoy spices.
Is spicy bad for dogs? Yes, as there are other issues to consider. How does spicy food affect dogs specifically? Because their systems are geared toward eliminating problems spicy foods end up going through their systems rather quickly and thus cause them diarrhea.
Putting this into perspective: Humans have 9000 taste buds while dogs only have 1700. Thus, they do not have the same reason to enjoy spices that humans do; dogs and spicy food simply do not mix on the same level as humans. Can dogs have spicy food? No; not only do they lack the taste buds for it, but their bodies treat the spices as something dangerous.
This is a necessary evolutionary adaptation as spicy plants also tended to be poisonous. Because of this eating spices triggers a number of defenses to get rid of the spices as quickly as possible.
What Happens if Dogs Eat Spicy Food?
So what happens if dogs eat spicy food? They start drinking a lot in order to get rid of the spices and by so quickly get rid of the taste. However, this sometimes requires a lot of water due to the oily nature of some spices.
This means that dogs eating spicy food have a lot of excess water to deal with. Can a dog eat spicy stuff? No, as the spicy stuff will cause their stomachs to become upset; again, a lot of spices we like were linked to poisonous foods and so stomachs were geared to eliminate those poisons. This means that the stomach is geared to get rid of the food as quickly as possible.
What happens if a dog eats spicy food? This also has other implications. As the dog drank a lot of water, its system has to deal with that extra water. So exactly what happens if a dog eats something spicy?
The dog needs to deal with a nasty case of diarrhea that can persist for quite a while, or at least a couple of days. All of this means that no one should ask “Is chili bad for dogs?” as it clearly is; this also means that no one should ask “Can dogs eat spicy chicken?” as it should be pretty obvious that they cannot without suffering major problems.
As usual, every rule has an exception when it comes to our loyal friends. There are dogs that love spicy foods despite the pain and diarrhea just as there are dogs that cannot even begin to eat spicy foods due to severe allergies and stomach pains. As usual, make sure that the dog can eat spices by exposing them to a small amount before giving them a full share.
Can Dogs Taste Spicy Food
It is worth revisiting the tasting problem because this has some interesting ramifications. Instead of asking, “Can dogs taste spicy food?” the better question is, “What can a dog taste?” Part of the issue here is that taste is linked to smell; in humans, a good part of our taste is linked to the smell of foods.
So while spicy food and dogs do not get along, a good part is because they can smell the spice in foods and that spice is, as such, capable of actually hurting the dog’s sense of smell by overwhelming it temporarily. Is spicy food bad for dogs? Definitely, as it can cause them pain and make their sense of smell untrustworthy, effectively blinding the smell-dependent animal.
My Dog Ate Spicy Food What Do I Do
So what to do if your dog eats spicy food? If your dog ate spicy food and now has diarrhea, the best you can do is to just let the situation pass. As noted above, the dog is likely to have drunk a lot of water, and that is bound to have some horrible ramifications. So rather than panicking because “My dog ate hot peppers!” just relax as long as the dog is not showing any other symptoms.
This is just one of those situations where “my dog ate something spicy” is not a reason for panic, and so the problem of “what to do if my dog ate spicy food” is to just let it pass but monitor the situation.
Conclusion
Dogs are funny creatures: They are willing to do almost anything that they are told to, usually without hesitation. Can dogs eat s[icy foods? Sometimes, but they will likely not enjoy the experience. Can dogs tastes spicy food? Not really; they tend to react to the burning sensation of the spice itself.
Can you give a dog spicy food? Sure, but do not expect the dog to actually eat it. Are spicy foods bad for dogs? Yes, but not usually bad enough to warrant a trip to the veterinarian. Is spicy food good for dogs? Usually never, but there are exceptions to every rule.
Hot sauce and dogs just do not get along; if a dog ate hot pepper, the dog would likely not get much of the taste and all of the heat. It would likely get diarrhea if ate too much, and so would not like the experience.
When it comes to spicy food dogs just do not have the same tolerance for it as humans do nor do they enjoy it; they just do not have the same engineering humans do. Can you give dogs spicy foods? Sure, but there is no good reason to do so and plenty of bad reasons not to do so.
The FAQ
While the question of “Do dogs taste spicy foods” has been answered pretty well, occasionally some dogs will act differently than other dogs. While there is no spicy food for dogs, the question of “Can dogs taste spice?” is sort of suspended for some dogs spicy food is part of the menu, asking “Is chili good for dogs?”, which is considering the amount of protein in chili. However, the question of “Can dogs eat hot stuff?” has not been totally suspended; the dog is still likely to suffer diarrhea. Thus, while for the particular dog spicy food is on the menu, so is a couple of days of suffering.
So, can dogs taste spicy foods? While they can taste them to some degree, dogs do not have the range of taste of humans. Can dogs eat spice? Sure, but only the rare dog will actually enjoy the taste and most will try to get rid of the taste as quickly as possible. Can dogs have hot sauce? As the sauce causes actual, physical pain, most dogs will yelp when they taste it and start drinking to get rid of it. Can a dog eat spicy food? Possibly, but that does not mean that the dog is likely to enjoy it. Is hot food bad for dogs? Yes, but that is because it generally leads to diarrhea as well as a dog not liking life for a little bit.
As a dog eating spicy food is somewhat uncommon, it is worth asking if a dog can eat cherry tomatoes. If a dog ate spicy food, it is likely to be chili, and a major component of chili is the tomato sauce. However, tomatoes are something that most dogs can eat, as long as they are not too ripe. Unless the dog is allergic to tomatoes and the tomatoes are actually ripe, the dog should have no problem eating cherry tomatoes.
