Tea drinking ?

[Jani29]

Well I just wanted to ask, are dogs allowed to drink tea ?
Some nice flavor, chamomile, low temperature.. etc..
As the winter time comes, and in my house we are a great lovers of tea sipping ( enyojing the different tasts and benefits ) I was wondering, would my Diva like it ?
I guess it can not hurt her, but have you ever triied it,what do you think about it ?

[gmacleod]

If it has caffeine in it, then I'd say that it certainly could hurt her ;) Caffeine is toxic to dogs (at the rate of approximately 63mg per lb of body weight). Tea also contains theophylline, which is a drug used in medicine (including veterinary medicine) to relax the airways. Side effects can include increased heart rate, vomiting, diarrhea, or seizures. Nice, hmm?

As for the caffeine-less herbal teas, do you actually know what is in them? Do they contain theophylline, for example? Any other drugs or substances? A great many human preparations are toxic to dogs, and drugs are frequently sourced from herbs. Personally, I just wouldn't risk it. Not unless you know precisely what substances are in there and that they are not of a toxic dose for the dog.

If you want a nice warm winter drink for your dog, how about just boiling up some home-made (not store bought) broth made from boiling up some meat and bones? Remove all traces of bone and let it cool before letting her have it, of course.

[Jani29]

well gmcloud.. you have certainly made several good remarks of what I have not taught about..thanks..appicon
sure, we drink tea and the dosage of coffeine or so can not hurt us, but what about those small bodies ?
I guess the nice warm soup will be her tea..
now I feel silly asking it..but the idea of sharing with her someting so nice and comfortabe was so inviting..thanks again