Can Dogs Taste Spice, and Do They Enjoy Eating Spicy Foods?

Dogs can taste spice, though not necessarily in the same way we do. Their limited taste buds make them less sensitive to subtle flavors. However, dogs do experience the heat and burning sensation of spicy compounds like capsaicin. This may be distressing and cause additional unpleasant side effects, so sharing spicy food with dogs is generally a bad idea. 

Are you a spicy food masochist or do your eyes water from just thinking about hot sauce? While some of us may seek out the hottest spices around, other people find them intolerable, so you may be wondering how your pup feels about spice and if dogs can eat spicy food. Dogs can experience certain elements of spicy flavors and can definitely suffer the negative effects of eating something too spicy.

And while most hot peppers are not considered toxic to dogs, they can cause unpleasant effects, making them unenjoyable to most dogs. Read on to learn more about how dogs experience spicy flavors.  

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Can dogs taste spice?

Yes, dogs can taste spice, but it may hit differently than it does for us. This is because dogs have a much less sensitive sense of taste compared to humans. Taste receptors on the tongue are divided into five main categories, which taste salty, sweet, umami, bitter, and sour flavors. A dog’s sense of taste is about one-sixth as sensitive as a human’s, meaning that they don’t taste a lot of the more subtle notes of flavor in their food. Spicy food is not directly detected by the taste buds, however.

The sensation of spice is usually the result of a compound called capsaicin, found in all peppers to varying degrees. Capsaicin is detected by pain receptors in the mouth and creates those feelings of warmth or burning. For us, a spicy dish will have a more complex taste as we can appreciate that warming sensation combined with more subtle flavors like the salty, sweet, or sour flavors as well. For dogs, since their general taste sensation is more limited, they may not appreciate those subtle flavors but will still experience the warming or burning sensations of capsaicin. This means they are less likely to enjoy spicy food and more likely to be focused on the unpleasant burning sensation in their mouth. 

Why sharing spicy foods with dogs is a bad idea

Sharing spicy food with your dog is not recommended for a number of reasons:

• They don’t like it: The best reason not to share spicy food with your dog is that they will most likely not like the way it tastes or feels in their mouth. Giving your dog things to eat that are unpleasant can erode their trust in you and in more extreme cases, lead to food aversions where they associate eating certain things or in certain places with a negative experience. This can lead to picky eating or refusal to eat, none of which you want to deal with.

• It can hurt their mouth: The spicier the food and the more capsaicin present, the higher the risk of injury. These compounds can cause irritation to the sensitive tissues in the mouth, known as the mucous membranes. While the damage is not permanent, it will be uncomfortable for your dog to eat or drink anything until it heals, making them more at risk for complications related to pain, poor appetite, and, possibly, dehydration.

• No one likes diarrhea: If your dog ingests a lot of capsaicin, this can irritate the lining of the digestive tract, leading to digestive upset including decreased appetite, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. This is no fun for your dog and definitely no fun for you.

Other possible toxins

If you are thinking of sharing a prepared dish, be cautious of other ingredients that may also be unsafe for your dog. Many prepared dishes contain garlic or onions, both of which are toxic to dogs. Other foods to avoid include high fat ingredients like butter, cheese, fatty cuts of meat, and/or fried foods. Also be sure to stay away from choking hazards and ingredients that could cause intestinal blockages including wooden skewers, bones, poultry skin, corn cobs, and fruit pits. 

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Consequences of feeding dogs spicy food

Feeding spicy food can have many potential negative consequences for your pup. This includes:

• Health consequences: spicy foods can cause injury to the tissues of the mouth and esophagus, leading to pain and difficulty eating while they heal. They can also cause irritation to the lining of the digestive tract, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of appetite. 

• Behavioral consequences: Dogs can develop aversions to food if they have a bad experience, just like people do. You probably still avoid foods that have made you sick in the past. Dogs may avoid eating in certain places or from certain bowls if they had a negative experience previously, or in more extreme cases, this can lead to very picky eating.

What should I do if my dog accidentally consumes something spicy?

If your dog ate something spicy, and you are wondering what to do, start by observing your dog’s attitude and behavior. If it was a very small amount of spicy food and your dog is acting fine, there is no need to panic.

You may be able to continue to monitor your pup, and take a wait-and-see approach as long as there are no other toxic ingredients involved. If your dog is in obvious discomfort, such as pawing at their mouth, you may want to take steps to soothe the discomfort and also contact your vet and/or a pet poison hotline to discuss the best course of treatment. Many times, once they recover from the initial burning sensation in their mouth, they will be fine. In other cases, if they ate a large amount of very spicy food, or it had other concerning ingredients, your pup will need veterinary attention right away.

Handling discomfort and potential harm from spice

If your dog licked something spicy and seems to be experiencing a burning sensation in their mouth, whether they are pawing at their mouth, whining, or drooling, you may want to try to soothe their discomfort. In people, there are many different remedies that claim to cool the burn of spicy food including milk, citrus, honey, and/or beer. In dogs, we need to be careful not to make matters worse by offering them something that can make them feel worse: 

• Avoid citrus: Most citrus is actually repulsive to dogs due to the smell. And, the oils from the peel can cause further irritation of the skin, mouth, and digestive tract so this is not a good choice for dogs. 

• No beer: All alcoholic products are toxic to dogs, so that’s also a definite no, no. 

• Limit dairy: Dogs are technically lactose-intolerant so offering them milk or other dairy products may lead to digestive upset too. However, a small amount of plain, low-fat yogurt can be a safe option for most dogs.

• Offer some peanut butter: Oils in nut butter may help to absorb capsaicin and relieve the burning sensation in your pup’s mouth. Just be sure you have natural peanut butter that is safe for dogs and doesn’t contain xylitol or other possible toxins. 

• Try a spoonful of honey: A spoonful of honey is a safe option to try for most dogs. Of course, it is very high in sugar so this should just be used in case of a spice emergency, and would not be appropriate for dogs with underlying health problems like diabetes.

If none of that seems to be working, and your dog is really distressed, be sure to contact your vet right away. 

Should I take my dog to to vet if they ate something spicy?

This really depends on what your dog ate and how much they ate. If they just licked a jalapeño you were about to chop up and are acting fine, there’s no cause for more serious concern. However, if they ate a whole bag of jalapeño peppers or ate a dish containing other ingredients that may not have been safe for them, it is a good idea to contact your vet and a pet poison hotline to get recommendations on how to treat them.

And certainly, any dog who is already showing signs of illness including drooling, not eating, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or anything else that feels out of the norm, should be seen by a vet right away. 

Safe spice practices: avoiding spicy foods

• The best option for keeping your pup happy and healthy is to keep them away from spicy food. If you are looking for ideas on foods you can share with your dog, there are many safe and healthy options to consider. If you need guidance on how to keep your dog from getting into foods that are not intended for them, here are a few good tips:

• Dog-proof your home as much as possible to keep your pup safe. Get into the habit of putting food into sealed containers and making sure it is out of reach. If you can’t keep your dog out of trouble, consider using temporary gates or doors to block off the kitchen.

• Crate training and/or mat training can be useful tools to give your dog a safe space out of harm’s way. This can be useful while you are cooking to prevent them from hoovering up the falling scraps, or when you have guests over who may not be as proactive about keeping their food and drinks out of reach.

• Use the “leave it” cue to communicate with your pup when they are trying to eat something unsafe. This one takes some time to teach and reinforce but once your pup gets the hang of it, it’s a great tool to help keep your pup safe.

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FAQs (People also ask):

Can dogs eat any spicy foods?

If you’re wondering if dogs can eat spicy human food, the answer is usually no. It depends how spicy it is and what other ingredients are present but in general, spicy foods are not good for dogs.

Is hot sauce bad for dogs? 

Hot sauce is not safe for dogs, especially if it contains other potentially toxic foods like garlic or onions. 

Can dogs die from consuming spicy foods? 

It would be unlikely that a dog would die from eating spicy food, unless there were other toxins in the dish, or a dog ate so much of it that it caused severe digestive problems like an ulcer or pancreatitis. 

Are there breeds that are more tolerant of spicy foods?

No. Some dogs may be less sensitive to the sensation of burning from eating spicy food, but they can still be at risk for digestive upset and should not be fed spicy foods. 

References:

• Applied Animal Behavior Science: Gastrophysics for Pets: Tackling the growing problem of overweight/obese Dogs

• Food Network: How to Cool your Mouth Down After Eating Spicy Food

• Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism: Canine Taste Responses to Elements of Food Deliciousness Closely Resemble Those of Human Responses, While Rodent Responses are Very Different from Canine Responses

• US Pharmacists: Capsaicin: Risks and Benefits