Cayenne pepper, also known as chili pepper, is loved by many food enthusiasts. It adds the perfect kick to spicy food, and your dog might like it as much as you do.
But is it healthy for dogs? What’s the recommended amount to give to dogs? And are some dogs allergic to it? We’re here to walk you through the answers to all these questions.
Is Cayenne Pepper Poisonous to Dogs?
The short answer is no. However, many variables go into this equation. Before we get into these variables, let’s tell you a bit more about cayenne pepper and why deciding whether or not you can give it to your dog is an issue that warrants a lot of debate.
Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which has countless health and therapeutic benefits. For instance, it generally benefits the circulatory system, is related to weight loss and pain relief, and has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties.
Subsequently, the question here is, do these benefits translate to dogs as well? Or does the change of species lead to a change in these functions?
Fortunately, these benefits do translate to dogs. Yet, with canines, you’ve got to be extra careful with how much cayenne pepper you’re giving to your dog because consuming large quantities on a regular basis will have severe consequences on the dog’s health.
What Happens if a Dog Eats Spicy Pepper?
It’s pretty safe for your dog to eat spicy peppers, whether in their raw or powder form. Better yet, moderately consuming spicy foods actually has some great health benefits for your dog. So, don’t be shy away from adding a little spicy kick to your dog’s food now and then.
What Happens if Dogs Eat Cayenne Pepper?
Now that you’ve got the go-ahead to add some spiciness to dog food, you might be wondering what exactly are the benefits of incorporating cayenne pepper into a dog’s diet. Well, wonder no more, here’s a list of them all:
Widens Blood Vessels
One of the most predominant health benefits of adding chili powder, chili peppers, cayenne powder, or cayenne pepper to your dog’s food is boosting blood circulation. When cayenne pepper is consumed, the entire circulatory system gets rejuvenated from the heart to blood vessels. Why?
Cayenne pepper contains vital minerals and vitamins, and it’s very good at delivering these substances to all the organs in the body, including the heart.
It also enhances the blood flow to the limbs, which is especially beneficial when your dog is in colder surroundings, like playing in the snow.
Contains Vitamins
Impressively, cayenne pepper is loaded with vitamins A, C, and most B vitamins, such as B2, B3, and B12, also known as riboflavin, niacin, and pyroxene, respectively.
Vitamin A is all great for ophthalmic health; it promotes good eyesight, prevents the deterioration of your dog’s eyes over time due to senility, and is crucial to the immune system.
At the same time, vitamin C immensely boosts immunity, cardiac health, memory, cognitive health, and connective tissues regeneration.
Since vitamin B is not a singular vitamin but a whole spectrum, its benefits involve the entire body; starting with the rejuvenation of red blood cells and all the way to boosting nerve function, brain function, and intestinal tract support.
Full of Minerals
Cayenne pepper contains potassium, copper, iron, magnesium, flavonoids, and micronutrients, which are all crucial to your dog’s health.
Potassium, for example, is one of the most critical minerals in the body as it’s responsible for proper muscle contraction. It also plays an essential role in transmitting nerve signals and enhancing fluid movement.
As for iron, it’s the main component of hemoglobin, which is essential to carrying oxygen and CO2 between the respiratory system and the rest of the body.
So, we can safely say that chili pepper is pretty influential; all these minerals are vital, and moderately giving your dog an extra boost of them will definitely improve its body functions.
Improves Digestive Tract Motility
Moderately consuming raw or powdered cayenne pepper will significantly improve your dog’s overall digestive health.
For one, the capsaicin in cayenne pepper enhances the enzyme production chain, meaning the small and large intestines will have better peristalsis, making for smoother bowel movement. It also makes your dog less gassy and helps in metabolizing food more efficiently.
Another digestive system benefit is that capsaicin helps balance triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, which helps with the digestion of fatty foods, something most dogs have trouble with.
Is a Good Vitamin Carrier
There are so many other vegetables that contain similar nutrients, but what makes cayenne pepper so special is that it’s actually capable of carrying these nutrients to where they’re needed. So, for example, it carries potassium to the muscles, iron to the cells, anti-inflammatory agents to the joints, and so on.
Has Antibacterial Properties
Cayenne pepper is an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent, meaning it prevents wounds from getting infected. This is exceptionally useful for dogs because they’re always running around and getting into mishaps.
Hence, as dog owners, we’re constantly faced with mouth lacerations, bleeding nails, cuts, and scrapes, which makes having these spicy peppers on hand a great temporary solution until we have access to veterinary treatment.
Is a Clotting Factor
Another thing that cayenne pepper is excellent at is stopping the bleeding (forming clots). So, it can prevent your dog from bleeding out if you live far away from the nearest vet.
Relieves Joint Pain
Last but certainly not least, red chili pepper is actually available in several other forms, including a topical cream that’s really beneficial, again, due to the capsaicin element in these peppers.
Capsaicin has some pain relief properties; it breaks down the Substance P, which is responsible for the feeling of pain, as it accumulates in specific spots in muscles and joints.
As a result, if your dog consumes red chili peppers or is prescribed any type of topical capsaicin treatment, it’ll definitely help with arthritic pain, especially for elderly dogs.
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What Happens When a Dog Eats Cayenne Pepper in Excess?
Now that we’ve covered the many benefits of introducing your dog to the moderate consumption of cayenne pepper let’s talk about the possible dangers of consuming too much of it.
Allergic Reactions
Believe it or not, but some dogs are actually allergic to cayenne pepper. So, if you’ve never introduced it to your dog’s diet before, we highly suggest you start small, giving them very small amounts at first. Then watch closely for any allergic reaction your dog might have.
The most common forms that allergic reactions present themselves as are swelling, itching, and tachypnea (rapid breathing). So if your dog shows any of these signs within a few days of consuming cayenne pepper, immediately take them to the vet to avoid any serious complications.
Digestive System Irritation
Second of all, your dogs might have sensitive stomachs. In that case, consuming even the smallest amount of cayenne pepper will irritate their digestive tract rather than improve their movement.
If your dog develops such a reaction, make sure to give them water immediately afterward and keep their water bowl full for water to wash their digestive tracts.
You might also need to seek professional veterinary advice must be sought, because not properly digesting cayenne pepper or any other spicy food might lead to kidney problems.
Mucous Membranes
If cayenne pepper accidentally rubs against a dog’s mucous membranes, it’ll cause a severe inflammatory reaction, which can be fatal in some cases!
So, make sure that you keep the cayenne peppers as far away as possible from your dogs’ eyes, ears, nose, anus, and genital areas.
Plus, if you notice any abnormal symptoms in your dogs or worsen the existing symptoms, pack the dog up and head straight to the vet.
Dehydration
Now, we’ll talk about what to do if your dog ate hot pepper in excess or if they somehow find the bulk-seized bottle of chili spice and decide to dive headfirst into it.
Well, the first thing you’ll need to do would be washing the dog’s mouth, nose, eyes, ears, and all the body parts that have mucous membranes. Next, give them water immediately afterward, and keep that water bowl full.
And keep in mind that, even if your dog isn’t allergic to cayenne pepper, its reaction to that much spicy food is developing a distressed digestive tract. This can present itself as vomiting or diarrhea, and those two symptoms can lead to dehydration if they go untreated.
So if your dog shows one or both of these symptoms, keep giving them water and immediately head to the vet.
Will Cayenne Pepper Stop Dogs From Chewing?
We’ve already established that it’s safe for dogs to eat cayenne pepper, but you might be wondering why cayenne peppers are used in the repellents used to prevent dogs from chewing on things.
Well, that’s when the concentration comes into play. High concentrations of cayenne pepper in repellent solutions will defiantly deter your dog from chewing on things. But, as previously discussed, if this repellent comes in contact with a cavity covered by a mucous membrane, it can lead to some dire consequences.
So, to be on the safe side, don’t use a dog repellent with a high concentration of cayenne pepper in your home. Instead, use apple cider vinegar or normal vinegar repellents; dogs can’t stand the smell of vinegar, and they’ll steer clear from your favorite couch, countertops, or house plant without any risk to their health.
Other Forms Of Cayenne Pepper
Apart from the food substance forms, there are actually different forms of cayenne pepper you can administer to your dog. Of course, you’ll need to ask the vet about the proper quantity of each form, as that will depend on the dog’s age and weight.
- Cayenne Pills
- Cayenne Capsules
- Cayenne Creams/Gels
- Cayenne Patches
Conclusion
To wrap up, can dogs eat cayenne pepper? Yes, they absolutely can. So if you want to introduce it to your dog’s diet, the first thing you need to get out of the way is eliminating your dog’s allergic reaction to it. Then consult your vet to reach the best form of these hot peppers you can give to your beloved canine.
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