Can dogs eat hot sauce or anything spicy? If you have developed a taste for hot & spicy foods, you might have asked this question to yourself while your dog was trying to persuade you with his pair of adorable eyes.
You might have given in. Or you might have not. For some of you out there, you might have done both! Whatever the case may be, I’m here to give you the answers so that you don’t make the same mistake twice.
1. Varying Kinds of Hot Sauce
As you may already know, Tabasco Hot Sauce is not the only brand out there that brings out that spicy flavor. For a majority of Asian dishes, you might use a combination of different peppers to make your food fiery hot.
As you go over to different cultures and regions, the list of “hot sauce” continues to grow and expand, and to avoid any confusion, let’s just agree that any “source” that brings out that spicy flavor is equivalent to our definition of hot sauce.
2. Effects of Spicy Food on Dogs
Your dog might tolerate (and even enjoy) the “spicy” taste, but his body will tell a totally different story as his digestive system starts to do its work. For easy reference, I have listed four common symptoms that spicy foods can have on your canine companion.
- Stomach Upset
- Vomiting / Diarrhea
- Runny Stools
- Burns Along the Intestinal Tract
As you can see, the answer to your question (Can Dogs Eat Hot Sauce) is no. Even though this warning does not apply to every hot sauce out there, but be sure to check the labels since some of their major ingredients can include garlic, onion, and lemon, which are highly toxic for dogs.
3. Strong Sense of Smell, Less for Taste
To quench your thirst for knowledge, you might have taken a close whiff of one of the open jars that contained a spice or some sort of pepper, and if you have ever done this, your eyes will start to water due to its strong smell.
If you take a look at the screenshot above, a dog’s sense of smell is so highly enhanced that even our best can’t match their lowest number! If your dog takes a close whiff of that spice, your dog’s highly sensitive nose might be impaired due to its strong smell.
4. Uses of Hot Sauce for Dogs
So what does a dog taste when she tries to take a bite out of your spicy dish? It might take a moment for her to react, but that spicy flavor will taste bitter and even sour at times, which are both quite unpleasant for dogs.
So how do we implement the bitter taste of a hot sauce? The bitter taste is often associated with deterrent spray for dogs, and to show you a great example, I have gone into Amazon and took a screenshot of the first row of searches that came up.
As you can see, the word bitter is used time and time again to emphasize this key point: dogs do not like the taste of bitterness. Don’t take this the wrong way since this doesn’t mean that you should use your hot sauce to prevent your dog from chewing.
But realize that the bitter taste (which can also be gotten from spicy foods) is often used as a tool for deterrent spray, and if you are in a need of one, please purchase one of the pet products that was made for this role!
5. Dogs Should Stick With (Dog) Food
Even though you might give them plenty of dog food, they will still clamor for your attention when it comes to your eating time. If you do give in, please keep in mind that your actions can become a habit, and this pattern can be very dangerous!
First of all, your dog will stop eating her normal kibble, and she will just wait for your food to appear. Please realize that your diet is quite different from what dogs should eat, so if a dog continues to eat human foods, her health will start to deteriorate.
Second, your dog’s digestive system breaks down food differently than humans, which means that some foods (chocolate, xylitol, and more) that are perfectly fine for humans to eat are quite toxic and can be fatal for dogs to ingest.
6. Resist the Urge!
If you really want to be responsible for your dog’s health, you need to resist the urge of giving your food to your dog. If your dog gets tired of the kibble that she had for years, try to change the flavor or even make a switch from dry kibbles to wet canned foods.
7. Knowledge is Power
However, if you really want to give some of your food to your dog, don’t forget to do a quick background check! There are many human foods that are perfectly fine for your dog to eat, so please do a quick look-up on the internet just to be absolutely sure.
As the old adage goes, “Knowledge is Power,” and the same saying applies to this situation as well since your ignorance can result in fatal consequences. If you are unsure, make sure to double-check your fears before taking action.
Need Some Kind of Insurance Plan?
Are you thinking of getting a safety net for your dog and for your wallet? If your dog has to see a vet for some sort of food poisoning, you might not even get the chance to consider your options due to the urgency of your situation.
Also known as Petplan, this health insurance policy is specifically for owners of dogs & cats who are living in the United States or Canada, and due to its great coverage, it is also named the best pet insurance plan offered in mainland USA.
Before we part ways, I want to thank you again for reading through this post, and I hope that you come back to our website to check on our regular updates. Have a great rest of your day and I hope that this information on Can Dogs Eat Hot Sauce helped you out!
