Can Dogs Eat Mustard?

If you’re planning to do a lot of grilling this summer, you’ll probably have your dog sitting under your feet the entire time you’re cooking. (And you might even sneak him a bite or two of food.)

But should you let him have the bites that are covered in condiments?

Mustard is actually considered to be toxic for dogs, so you shouldn’t feed your dog anything with mustard on it.

The Dodo spoke to Dr. Sarah Wooten, a veterinarian and veterinary journalist, to find out what else you need to know about mustard and dogs.

“Mustard seeds are considered toxic to dogs,” Dr. Wooten told The Dodo.

Mustard can cause your dog to develop gastroenteritis, which is when his stomach and intestines become inflamed — but it also depends on the size of the dog and the amount of mustard eaten.

“Mustard is a bigger problem for small dogs,” Dr. Wooten said. “If you have a large dog that licks some store-bought mustard off your plate, it is likely not going to cause problems; however, every dog is different.”

So to be safe, it's probably best to keep your dog away from mustard altogether, regardless of his size, since a tiny amount can still make a large dog sick.

Mustard greens are OK for your dog to eat, though, since they don’t have mustard seeds in them (but he might not be as interested in them as he is in your hot dog with mustard).

If your dog eats some mustard, watch out for these symptoms of toxicity in dogs:

These symptoms will likely show up within 30 to 45 minutes after ingesting mustard.

If your dog ate a lot of mustard, or if he’s showing any of these symptoms, take him to the vet.

“If your dog has signs of mustard toxicity, then treatments could include inducing your dog to vomit, fluids, anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea meds and any other required supportive care,” Dr. Wooten said.

Long story short, don’t give your dog mustard or food with mustard on it, and keep plates with leftover mustard on them out of your dog’s reach.