With summer on the horizon, we’re all gearing up for our favorite feasting pastime: barbecuing! With nearly 75% of American adults owning a grill, it’s guaranteed your pooch is going to come across some tasty outdoors grilling at some point this season, like hot dogs and hot dog buns. With condiments of all types in easy reach, do you need to be concerned if your dog gets their paws on some tangy mustard?
Mustard Seeds – Can Dogs eat Mustard?
While prepared mustard greens are fine for dogs to eat, you should absolutely never feed your dog mustard seeds. Mustard seeds contain compounds that are toxic to dogs; consuming them can lead to vomiting or diarrhea. If you have a tendency to feed your dog scraps from the table, make sure the food does not contain any mustard with seeds in it. If you think your dog has accidentally consumed mustard seeds and appears to be ill, contact your vet.
Is it safe to give my dog food with mustard?
Mustard is simply made in terms of ingredients, with most mustards only containing things like vinegar and a variety of seasonings like paprika, turmeric, and garlic powder. With the exception of Garlic Powder, there are no ingredients in mustard that are toxic to dogs. Garlic Powder, however, is used in such small amounts that your dog would need to eat multiple bottles to experience garlic toxicity.
Isn’t garlic, an ingredient of Mustard bad for dogs?
Garlic in its whole form is bad for dogs, but garlic powder has low risk of danger to dogs in small amounts (and mustard has very small amounts). Even if your dog decides to indulge in a bottle of mustard, they’re unlikely to experience any side effects other than some mild stomach upset–and maybe some yellow paws!
Mustard Warnings – Can Dogs eat Mustard?
While steamed mustard greens or a small amount of yellow mustard on a sandwich or hot dog bun will not seriously harm dogs, it is always better to avoid feeding dogs large amounts of foods that would not b e part of their natural diet, as this can cause digestive problems, diarrhea and vomiting. If you think your dog has eaten anything he shouldn’t, such as mustard seeds or a quantity of condiment mustard, call your vet and ask how to proceed.