Pumpkin Spice: Is this seasonal spice mix safe for dogs to eat?

It’s the start of Pumpkin Spice season (even if it is a bit early), and that means we are about to be inundated with a lot of delicious Fall treats. And that leads us to wonder whether or not Pumpkin Spice is safe for our dogs to ingest. This also means figuring out what exactly this seasoning blend includes.

While pumpkin itself is actually a dog friendly ingredient, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the spice mix we call Pumpkins Spice is also dog safe. In fact, as the Patton Veterinarian Hospital explains, “Pumpkin pie spice is typically a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and either cloves or allspice depending on the blend. Items made with the spice may or may not contain pumpkin.”

Basically, just because it says pumpkin spice, that doesn’t actually mean there is any pumpkin involved. This means we need to take a look at the spices that make up this delicious blend.

Is pumpkin spice safe for dogs to ingest?

• Cinnamon – Although cinnamon is not toxic to our dogs in small doses, too much of this spice can cause issues in terms of their respiratory system. It is also important to note that cinnamon oil itself is in fact toxic, so that should be avoided.
• Nutmeg – While it is unlikely that we would ever ingest enough nutmeg to be toxic, we do need to pay attention to the fact that this spice “contains a toxic substance called myristicin.” And a whole nutmeg or even too much of this spice can lead to vomiting, pain in their abdomen, seizures, and even hallucinations.
• Cloves – While clove oil is definitely hazardous to cats, when it comes to dogs it seems to be a relatively safe spice. However, that doesn’t mean they should have large quantities at all.
• Ginger – As a spice, ginger is relatively safe for both dogs and cats, although fresh ginger is a no and large quantities are also dangerous.

In general, it’s just not the best idea to feed our pups something like pumpkin spice cookies or anything like that just because of all the additional sugars and such. But when it comes to using pumpkin spice in treats for our pets, we would still avoid this because of the potential dangers of using too much or not knowing how much is actually used in the spice mix unless you whip it up yourself.

What do you think dog lovers? Do you agree that maybe we should be avoiding pumpkin spice for our dogs? Let us know.