I am writing to you to inform you about a friends dog who died after eating spent hops. It was a horrible, needless, accidental death and I would like to prevent it from happening to any other brewers’ families. Could you please share this link with your friends?
Q was a great dog, but I can only hope his death with serve as a way we can educate our friends to keep hops away from their pets.
I’m sorry to here about your friends dog.
I agree that it is important to make people aware of this (I know it has been here discussed before) and it never hurts to remind folks to keep hops away from their dogs.
However hops are not toxic. They can cause a hyperthermic reaction in dogs
Thanks for reminding folks. My spent hops go from boil kettle to a bag to a place dogs can’t reach. I will also be cautious at harvest time if I ever get enough to harvest lol
First post here and new to home brewing of beer though done a bit of wine in my time. My first batch was Irish Red and my son’s puppy was roaming around. I dropped a pellet of hops on the floor and the dog went for it. I knew no better and figured if he could eat something that strong he could take it. Well we were drinking some beer during the brewing process and gave him a little of that too. My son got on me the next AM and said don’t ever give his dog beer again. He said it shook all night long and panted. My gut feeling was the hops as I have seen dogs drink beer before without issues. Now that I have read here I know that was the problem. Now the dog and I can drink together again but no hops except in the wort!
I’m no prude, dog’s can enjoy a bit of beer if they like. But a puppy? If alcohol hurts a human brains development, it should also hurt a puppies brain. So I am on the record that dogs under the age of one should not drink beer.
I’m from Louisiana. People down here put beer in their kids babies bottles. We like our beer. Make of it what you want but I will treat no dog better than my own kid
I used to give my dog the first half glass am foam of the day. If I didn’t he would pout. One time I gave him a full pint out of a new keg as it was a little yeasty. He looked a little lit afterwords but seemed pretty happy. At 12 it was nice just to see him wag his tail
That used to work for my tail but it takes a few more than ‘one’ now-a-days. Tails wear out over time and it’s good to see your boy still has a little left in him!
maligniant hyperthermia is bad news. it can happen to humans too, usually as a reaction to anesthesia.
about 30 years ago we had a left over keg from my sister’s wedding. sat around outside the next day at my brother’s drinking it. his friend’s great dane kept lapping up the spillage on top of the keg. seeing an inibriated great dane bounding around the yard was a little intimidating.
Just because they like it doesn’t mean you should give it to them. I know for a fact that dogs like slug bait, too, but it kills them. Just like alcohol can. If you truly love your dog, don’t give it alcohol.