Can Dogs Eat Poppy Seeds – When it is or isn’t an Emergency

No, dogs shouldn’t eat poppy seeds or any other parts of the poppy plant. The ingestion of poppy seeds could be unsafe for dogs, even in small quantities.

Why poppy seeds are bad for dogs

Poppies contain alkaloids like codeine and morphine. Both opiates are used for medical purposes. Codeine, for example, is one of many ingredients used for products that provide pain relief. That, however, doesn’t make it safe for dogs to eat poppy seeds.

A dog’s digestive system is unable to properly process the poppy seeds. Ingesting too many poppy seeds could lead to poppy poisoning in dogs. According to the Pet Poison Helpline, common clinical signs of poppy poisoning may include crying, pinpoint pupils, and a lack of appetite. The opiates can eventually affect the dog’s central nervous system if too much is consumed.

Can dogs eat poppy seed muffins?

No, dogs shouldn’t eat poppy seed breads like poppy seed muffins. It’s not just the poppy seeds in the muffin that pose a health threat to dogs. Muffins typically come with a lot of unhealthy ingredients like sugar. Eating too many pieces of a poppy seed muffin may unsettle a dog’s stomach. This can eventually lead to clinical signs like diarrhea and vomiting. Lemon poppy seed muffins are worse because of the citric content of lemon.

What to do if your dog ate poppy seeds

Some dogs, particularly large dogs, may end up fine if they only ate a tiny amount of poppy seeds. That said, you may still want to call the vet to be safe. If appropriate, the vet may induce vomiting to remove as many poppy seeds as possible (before they get digested in the dog’s body). You can visit our human foods list to find out what foods are or aren’t safe for dogs.