Can Dogs Have Ginger?

Estimated Read Time: 4 minutes

Summary: “Is ginger bad for dogs?” In this blog, we’ll learn if ginger is good or bad, safe or unsafe for dogs and whether there are any benefits to feeding your dog this rather aromatic, popular herb…

Closely related to spices like turmeric and cardamom, ginger is a member of the Zingiberaceae family and is a flowering plant that originated in South East Asia. It’s touted as one of the healthiest spices on the planet due to its high levels of antioxidants and its natural anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory properties! But, is it also healthy for our dogs to consume…?

Can Dogs Eat Ginger?

For adult dogs, and in small amounts, most forms of ginger are safe for your dog to eat; powdered, raw, dried or juiced!

However, dogs with diabetes or the blood condition haemophilia should not be fed ginger as it can lower blood pressure and blood sugar, and these conditions require those things to be closely monitored and controlled. Pregnant and/or lactating dogs should not be fed ginger either.

Ginger can also react with some medications. So, if your dog takes regular meds, check in with your vet before allowing them to try some ginger.

A hand of ginger root, with lots of off-shoot fingers, sits on top of a small, red, plastic chopping board

Is Ginger Good For Dogs?

Appropriate amounts of ginger is thought to be good for dogs. Some pet parents attribute ginger to supporting their dogs with things like improving excessive flatulence, aiding nausea, and helping to soothe achy joints because it’s rich in antioxidants and hosts an abundance of anti-inflammatory properties.

Ginger For Dogs

If you decide to give your dog ginger and you want to feed them powdered ginger, don’t feed them more than ¼ a teaspoon if they’re a small breed (under 16kg) and no more than ¾ teaspoon for larger pups (over 16kg).

If you’re feeding them root ginger, remove the tough brown skin and then you can grate the yellow inside onto their food. Just make sure it’s a very small amount and try to exercise good judgment over what looks or feels like too much for your dog’s breed and size.

Alternatively, you could infuse raw bits of ginger in hot water and then, once it’s cooled and you’ve removed the ginger, mix this liquid with their food.

Be aware that if your dog consumes too much ginger, they may experience heartburn, become gassy and/or feel nauseous.

A hand of ginger root, sitting on a light wood chopping board with vibrant, dark green leaves across the top right-hand corner

Always take it slowly when introducing any new food to your dog to avoid upsetting their stomach - particularly with puppies. Feed a very small amount of ginger per day before considering continuing to feed low quantities of ginger to your dog. As with humans, all dogs will react differently to different foods so always be mindful of this when trying them on new foods, snacks, and treats regardless of whether they’re deemed safe.

Is Ginger Ale Safe For Dogs?

No. Ginger ale is a popular home remedy for stomach upsets in humans, but your dog will most likely not reap the same experience. You should not give your dog ginger ale, as most contain artificial flavourings, artificial sweeteners or a high amount of sugar which are not good for doggos.