With enticing aromatic spices like cloves often flavoring homemade seasonal goodies everyone craves this time of year, that intense warming essence proves irresistible even to dogs catching tempting whiffs from kitchen counters busy prepping candied cranberries or punkin piepecans. Before tossing your pooch a special scrap featuring familiar holiday ingredients, however, weigh potential risks involved indulging canines in people food shares. How exactly do cloves impact doggy diets and digestion weeks?
Understanding Cloves
Cloves consist whole dried ** unopened flower buds** harvested from the tropical evergreen Syzygium aromaticum tree native across Indonesia and Madagascar. Their small nail-shaped structure gives cloves intense natural ** flavor, fragrance** and medicinal oil properties from concentrated essential phenolic compounds especially eugenol. These versatile yet intense “warm spices” season autumnal drinks, baked goods, roasted veggies and cured meats.
Can Dogs Safely Ingest Cloves or Clove Derivatives?
In their whole food form, small occasional trace clove bits should only mildly irritate most canines unless mega-dosed. However, clove oil extracts pose liver toxicity threats from concentrated chemical components dogs poorly metabolize. Symptoms necessitating prompt veterinary treatment include vomiting, diarrhea, blood abnormalities, seizures or organ damage if enough gets consumed. While rarely fatal alone, combining clove oil alongside other medications or chemical agents significantly elevates overall toxicity.
Healthier Food Sharing Alternatives
For optimal holiday wellbeing avoiding unnecessary gastrointestinal irritation or metabolic troubles, stick with feeding plain dog-approved proteins, fibers or digestive supplements instead of spicy people cuisine featuring intense seasonings too strong for canine physiology. Basmati rice, lean turkey, boiled eggs, raw honey, pumpkin puree or low-fat Greek yogurt all offer gentler nutritional exchanges.
Or better yet, redirect all that curious nibbling into extra play sessions together burning off pent up investigative energy hijacking appetite! Refocus those taste buds predicting on approved chews protecting best buddies from intestinal or toxicity misfortune. “Turkey comas” invite calmer snuggles anyways preventing pesky counter surfing habits from forming amidst hectic kitchen commotion.
Stay thoughtfully discerning this season – sharing is caring, especially guarding vulnerable doggy diets from well-meaning yet potentially harmful holiday food generosity. Opt for their health first minimizing spicy temptations unlikely agreeing with canine systems. Instead make cherished memories together doing activities you both enjoy already!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much clove is toxic for dogs?
Any amount of concentrated clove oil poses high risks. For whole cloves, amounts over 2 grams per pound of body weight may cause liver issues. Toxicity risks multiply if combined with other medications, chemical cleaners or holiday chocolates.
Could home potpourri pots with clove studded oranges hurt my pup?
Yes, the essential oils diffusing may irritate lungs or build up on fur later ingested through self-grooming. Keep decorative clove-containing aromatherapy away from curious pets likely nibbling ingredients.
What about my homemade holiday gingerbread using cloves?
Definitely don’t feed homemade holiday cakes/cookies to dogs – allspice, nutmeg, cloves and baking chocolates commonly added are too intense for doggy diets. The rich butter and sugars also disrupt their digestion.
When those pleading eyes beg for sharing the joy this season, include your faithful companion in safer merriment that deepens special bonds protecting their health too. Prioritize their wellbeing above momentary food cravings unlikely settling well through all the holiday hype anyways!
