Is it okay for dogs to drink brandy and get drunk?
A straight answer to this question is a NO. Brandy is a type of alcohol, alcohol in any form is highly toxic and should be kept away from dogs as much as possible. It is as harmful to dogs as chocolates, onions, and garlic. Not only alcoholic drinks but alcohol in syrup or bread dough can act as a poison to dogs.
In some cases, brandy can become the reason for a dog’s death. Not only brandy, but any other alcoholic substance is as dangerous/ lethal as it is.
What is brandy?
Brandy is a type of liquor that is produced by the process of distillation of wine. After this, brandy is placed into the oak barrels to make it mature. It contains 30- 60% of alcohol, depending upon the company which is making/ producing it. This drink is consumed at parties and various events, it is used to make cocktails. Even for humans, excess amounts of brandy can cause serious health issues.
Why is brandy toxic to dogs?
Brandy contains a compound known as ethanol which is present in most alcoholic drinks and liquid medications, it also contains isopropanol and both components are toxic to dogs. These components will be easily absorbed into a dog’s system and will lead to alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning will lead to serious health issues and sometimes death. If your dog consumes brandy in large quantities it will die due to hypoglycemia, hypotension, and hypothermia. You might be wondering how will you know that your dog is poisoned by alcohol i.e. Brandy in this case, your dog will start to show symptoms after alcohol poisoning, below is a list of symptoms it will show.
What symptoms will my dog show if it consumes brandy?
If your dog licked brandy even twice, it will lead to alcohol poisoning. Depending upon the quantity it consumed, the level of poisoning can be determined. The symptoms of alcohol poisoning are vomiting, loss of body control, diarrhea, dehydration, loss of consciousness, decrease in heart rate, inebriation, difficulty in breathing, excitement which later changes into depression. The symptoms which can lead to death are low body temperature (hypothermia), low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia), and low blood pressure (hypotension).
What amount of brandy can kill a dog?
Even a little amount can cause poisoning in dogs. Some breeds such as toy breeds can be affected by consuming a little amount of alcohol and some breeds whose immunity is stronger will be affected by 5-6 licks of it. According to research 0.8 g of ethanol per 1 ml is considered to be dangerous therefore, to check if your dog is safe or not you need to check the ingredients written on the backside of the bottle of brandy your dog ate. Dogs who are weak will be most affected by it. One or two licks of this alcohol will lead to serious health complications.
What to do if my dog ate/ drank brandy by accident?
If by accident you have spilled your drink on the floor then you need to clean it up quickly as dogs are curious by nature and will try to taste and smell whatever they find and will get themselves in trouble. Try to avoid drinking when you know that your little friend is near as it will tend to play and can get your drink spilled all over. It will increase the possibility that your dog might taste it and will also affect the environment which will take a lot of effort to clean.
If by accident your dog ate or drank brandy, you should contact its regular veterinarian even before it starts to show symptoms. Explain the whole situation to the vet and it will tell you what to do ahead in order to reduce the poisoning.
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