Can My Dog Eat Ginger?

Some dogs will beg for a bite of pretty much any food you have — and ginger is no exception.

If you’ve ever noticed your dog begging for that side of shaved ginger that comes with your favorite sushi, you might have wondered if it’s OK for him to eat.

Ginger may have some properties that are actually beneficial for your pup’s health, but it could also cause tummy troubles in dogs who are more sensitive.

The Dodo spoke with Dr. Cristina Bustamante, an associate veterinarian with Caring Hands Animal Hospital in Florida and founder of Dr. B Vet, to find out whether or not your dog can eat ginger.

Your dogs can, in fact, eat ginger, provided you’re giving him small amounts and his stomach can handle it.

“Yes, they can eat ginger, but some dogs can be very sensitive to any changes in their diet,” Dr. Bustamante told The Dodo. “So I would be very careful.”

While ginger might be a little difficult for sensitive pups to digest, you don’t have to panic if you drop some on the floor while you’re cooking and your dog comes over to investigate.

“I don't recommend that you give your dog ginger, but it's not toxic to dogs,” Dr. Bustamante said.

Ginger is believed to be good for dogs in a bunch of ways.

“Anecdotally, it seems like ginger could help dogs with nausea and vomiting,” Dr. Bustamante said.

It’s also supposed to be good for things like bloating and other gastrointestinal issues. It even has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help with joint pain relief.

However, this doesn’t mean you can just randomly start mixing ginger in with your dog’s food — you should always consult your vet before making any changes to your pup’s diet.

“I recommend that you contact your veterinarian so that you can give them medication that has been proven to work,” Dr. Bustamante said.

For certain dogs, ginger is fine in small doses — at most, your pup shouldn’t eat more than one teaspoon of raw ginger in a day.

But while some people swear it helps with their dog’s nausea, it can actually have the opposite effect on dogs with weaker stomachs.

“If you give your dog ginger and your dog has a sensitive stomach, he could get an upset stomach,” Dr. Bustamante said.

Ginger has a bit of a kick to it and can be too spicy even for some humans. So, that heat could irritate your dog’s system or simply his taste buds.

“Some dogs might just not like it,” Dr. Bustamante said.

One study seemed to suggest that ginger could reduce heartworm larvae in dogs, but there hasn’t been enough research to really prove that to be true.

So, if you’re giving your dog ginger in place of actual preventative medication for heartworm, that’s not going to protect your dog from getting the disease.

Instead, you’ll want to get a monthly oral preventative to actually keep those heartworms away.

Try Heartgard Plus from Chewy for $39.99

“Ginger does not prevent heartworm,” Dr. Bustamante said. It’s also not a cure for heartworm, either. Heartworm disease requires very painful and specific treatment.

So, ginger isn’t toxic or outright bad for your dog, which means you don’t have to panic if your dog swipes a piece of it off your plate of sushi.

Ginger might even have some health benefits for your pup, but you should always check in with your vet before adding it to your dog’s food.

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