When you live in a city boasting more breweries per capita than any other U.S. city (roughly one brewery per 8,000 people), it's not a silly question to ask whether your furry little friend can kick back and enjoy at least a few tongue lickins' of a cold craft brew with ya on a Friday afternoon by the river. So... can dogs drink beer?
Is Beer Okay for Dogs? The Short Answer
Let's not bury the lede here—is beer okay for dogs? Absolutely not! We know plenty of pup parents wonder "do dogs like beer?" and the honest truth is that some dogs are curious enough to lap up whatever you're having. But a wagging tail at the smell of your IPA doesn't mean it's safe. Between the alcohol and the hops, beer is bad for dogs on two separate fronts, and even a small amount can do real damage. In short, dogs shouldn't drink beer—not even a few celebratory sips.
It's not so common knowledge that even small amounts of alcohol, especially in smaller dogs and cats, can cause life-threatening toxicity, which is why we want to lap up the suds a little and dive into exactly why beer is poisonous to your lively little bud, and how you know if your dog does in fact have alcohol poisoning (whether it's from a tasty cold one or unbaked yeast from that birthday cake you were making—yep, that's alcohol as well).
So why is alcohol poisonous to our four-legged friends? It only takes 15 to 30 minutes from the first little lick of beer for your pet's central nervous system to begin to show signs of depression, including staggering, slowed reflexes, and increased urination. Well, we could say the same for ourselves after we throw a few cold ones back, right? Most definitely! While that may be a good time for us two-legged party animals, we have to remember the immense size difference in most pets compared to our body weight and size. As time goes on, if a fatal amount of alcohol is ingested, our precious little ones are at risk for a slow respiratory rate, cardiac arrest, and even death.
If a 20-pound dog drinks one beer in 5 minutes, that's the same as a 200-pound man drinking 10 beers in 5 minutes. For dogs, that kind of shock can wreak havoc on their immune system. ~Tails to Tell Blog
In researching alcohol and its effect on our pooches' sensitive tummies, we found that it's not simply the alcohol that overwhelms our little loves' systems, but the hops in beer as well that are 100% toxic to them. For those of you who don't have a bottle of bathtub brew simmering in your basement, hops are the female flowers of the hop plant, used primarily to add a bitter tanginess to beer and used as a stabilizing agent, to really round it out and give it a full, robust flavor. Eh... some of this Asheville beer drinking is coming in handy.
Yummy to us, but unfortunately these bitter little guys are no bueno for our canine friends. Highly poisonous and fatal, whether the hops are on the vine growing in your backyard or in pelletized form on your kitchen floor, the cones absolutely must be kept away from your pets. Dogs that ingest hops will show signs of excessive panting, restlessness, muscle tremors, and seizures. In severe cases, your pet will experience a sharp increase in body temperature, known as malignant hyperthermia, which causes fevers over 108 degrees Fahrenheit, which can result in damage and failure of their organs and internal systems, according to the Animal Poison Control Center (ASPCA).
Help! My Dog Drank Beer—What Now?
Accidents happen, and a spilled pint at a backyard cookout is exactly the kind of thing curious pups pounce on. If you're staring at an empty cup thinking my dog drank beer, here's what to do:
- Don't wait for symptoms. The sooner you act, the better the outcome.
- Estimate how much they got into—a stray lap of foam is different from a knocked-over full glass.
- Watch for warning signs like wobbling, vomiting, disorientation, excessive panting, or unusual lethargy.
- Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) right away, especially for small dogs, where even a little alcohol goes a long way.
When in doubt, make the call. A quick conversation with a professional beats a sleepless night of worrying every time.
A Tail-Wagging Alternative
A great alternative, if you just love the habit of kicking back with your old pal and sharing the day's woes over a frosty pint, is a dog beer made especially for our canine pals called Bowser Beer. A beefy, malty, hops-free, and alcohol-free concoction that comes in 4 different recipes, these tasty beverages were created especially for beer drinkers' furry pals. Now happy hour and yappy hour can continue—party on! Check them out online at: https://bowserbeer.com/
And for the serious beer lovers out there, we feel ya and love our relaxation elixir just as much as the next guy and enjoy sharing that feeling with our bestest little buds too. And if you want your pet to really show off your combined love for malty, hoppy, yummy goodness, you can create a custom tag on our site showcasing your favorite brew or even a photo of you two kicking back one sunny afternoon enjoying one together! Check out our personalized pet tags for inspiration.
Just remember not to upload any copyrighted images directly from a brew-house. The last thing we need is a butt-whoopin from a few burly, bearded beer drinkers! Onward and upward friends—Woof Woof! (and a bow wow wow yippe yo yippe yay). View all of our pet ID tags.
Tiffany Narron is an Asheville dog owner and craft beer connoisseur, which led to her examining the question "Can Dogs Drink Beer?" Together with her sweet little mountain hopper Bella Marie Blue, they travel the hills, uncovering commonly held myths both in the pet community and in this wondrous little mountain town we call home.
