Can Dogs Eat Kimchi? When it is or isn’t an Emergency

Fermented human foods like kimchi can offer a number of health benefits for humans but the same can’t be said for dogs. We wouldn’t ever let your dog eat kimchi, especially when you consider the ingredients used to make this spicy dish.

The base ingredients of kimchi typically include salt, garlic, cabbage, and red pepper flakes. As some of you may already know, garlic is toxic to dogs. The amount of garlic used in kimchi might not necessarily be fatal to dogs but it can cause mild to severe symptoms depending on how much kimchi your dog consumes.

A decent amount of salt is also used in the initial steps of making kimchi. Dogs are a lot more sensitive to salt and too much of it can cause further damage in the dog’s body. If your dog accidentally eats some kimchi then please make sure he has access to fresh water. Keeping hydrated is one way to reduce the effects of excess salt consumption.

Red pepper flakes aren’t considered toxic to dogs but they could lead to unpleasant side effects like diarrhea. A dog’s stomach isn’t equipped to handle spicy ingredients.