Can Dogs Eat Matcha?

WOOF! It’s no secret that drinking green tea has many health advantages for humans, but did you know that it also has advantages for dogs? Yes, it is correct! Along with you, your four-legged buddy can benefit from green tea’s health properties, but it’s important to remember that there are certain risks.

If given correctly, green tea can significantly improve your pet’s health. It can provide your dog with stronger bones, better breath, relief from dry skin and itching, and more, but it’s crucial to understand the hazards involved in frequently providing your dog green tea.

We go over all you need to know about safely providing your dog green tea in the piece that follows.

So please continue reading to learn how to share your matcha green tea with your dog in a safe and healthy manner.

Is green tea good for dogs? The seven scientifically-studied benefits of matcha green tea for dogs

Sustain a healthy weight

Similar to humans, certain dogs may have a tendency to gain too much weight. Dogs that are overweight frequently suffer from excessive blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and other medical issues. Studies have indicated that green tea can help your dog maintain a healthy weight if they are prone to weight gain, lower blood pressure, and improve cholesterol levels, while it shouldn’t be used as a method to help them lose weight quickly.

improved bone health

An older dog with thinning bones or a dog with osteoarthritis may benefit most from green tea. Dogs given daily treats containing green tea extract showed a considerable reduction in discomfort and a notable improvement in their ability to get from a laying down to a standing position in one study that examined a variety of dog breeds over the course of three months.

Better oral health and fresher breath

Did you know that the leading cause of illnesses linked to health is periodontal disease, which is also one of the most common diseases in dogs and cats?

Giving your dog green tea on a regular basis can help maintain the health of their teeth and is great for their dental health. In a study examining the effects of consuming organic matcha green tea on dental plaque in dogs, pups given the tea on a daily basis saw a 37% decrease in plaque accumulation in just 14 days.

This makes sense because periodontal disease, or gum disease, is addressed by green tea’s potent anti-inflammatory properties. Regular consumption of green tea has been shown to reduce bad breath, according to a comprehensive evaluation of studies on the topic of oral health.

Decreased dog dandruff and irritated, dry skin

An all too prevalent issue that dog owners deal with is dandruff. Dandruff is typically a skin problem in dogs that results from their skin being excessively oily or dry, which itches them a lot. Fortunately, research has shown that green tea can be given topically orally to dogs to help soothe and relax sensitive skin. For instance, almost 45% of the dogs in a research that included a variety of antioxidants, including green tea, with their chow for 60 days reported a noticeable decrease in itching.

Due to its antifungal and antibacterial qualities, which help combat mites and other microorganisms commonly found on a dog’s hair, green tea is a common component of dog shampoos designed to help manage dandruff. Furthermore, green tea contains a wealth of vitamins C and E, which nourish dry skin and promote the natural creation of collagen.

A more robust hair coat

It is not surprising that dog owners have discovered green tea offers startling advantages for their dog’s hair health, given the numerous research conducted on the topic of green tea’s ability to stimulate human hair growth. Is the fur on your dog growing old and matted?

Green tea may encourage the growth of new hair and help restore a healthy sheen and gloss to your dog’s coat. We advise applying it topically, since it will also greatly improve the condition of your dog’s skin. Do not own a dog shampoo containing extract from green tea? Not a problem! You can brew regular green tea or matcha and then combine it in a bucket with shampoo and water. And presto!

Qualities that combat cancer

Do you have an elderly dog with cancer, or are you worried about your dog developing cancer in the future? Think considering discussing green tea supplements with your veterinarian.

You could have predicted that green tea, with its extremely high antioxidant content, would help shield your dog from cancer. Research has demonstrated that green tea can prevent common dog cancers; nonetheless, a 2011 study with beagles revealed a significant conclusion. Green tea can be fatal to dogs in excessive doses when given to them while they are fasting, according to research; but, when given with meals, green tea is an effective herbal cancer treatment.

Better behavior (Who’s a good girl!)

Even though we like our furry friends, we have all had those moments when we wish they would behave a bit better. Does your dog have periods of hyperactivity or anxiety? Matcha green tea could help them relax if you give it to them together with their meal. Dogs’ serotonin and dopamine levels can be raised by the l-theanine in green tea, which helps reduce tension and anxiety, according to a study that looked at how a dog’s food affects their mental health.

There are numerous all-natural remedies and methods for enhancing a dog’s behavior. Thus, it’s recommended to see your veterinarian first if you’re thinking about utilizing green tea to treat your dog’s behavior.

Is it okay for my dog to drink green tea?

Dogs can safely consume tiny amounts of green tea, and it may even improve their health. However, there is a catch: In theory, matcha green tea and other types of green tea, such hojicha, are healthy for dogs to consume in moderation. However, when consumed during a fast, excessive quantities are toxic to dogs. (For example, no dog food for two hours.)
The reason to be worried? The amount of caffeine in green teas. Matcha in particular has a greater caffeine content than other green teas, so it’s crucial to watch how much and when you give it to your dog.

How much matcha green tea is safe to give my dog?

We highly advise speaking with your veterinarian before giving your dog more than a lick of your matcha green tea when it comes to green tea servings for pets.

Regarding a threshold to prevent poisoning, it would be ideal if you were extremely cautious and cognizant of the amount of caffeine your dog is consuming from your matcha green powder. Since matcha can be harmful at levels up to 63 mg/lb in dogs, we advise against giving your dog more than 1 gram of matcha every meal or steeping it in cold water after much dilution.

Matcha green tea contains caffeine, which is why providing it to your dog on a regular basis is cause for concern. Similar to coffee, matcha has caffeine. Because matcha green tea has about 35 milligrams of caffeine per gram, you can safely add a gram of matcha or a cup of prepared matcha to your dog’s meal if they weigh more than 20 pounds.

The significance of giving your dog food after giving them green tea

When the topic of green tea’s chronic toxicity in dogs was first investigated in 2011, researchers discovered that green tea extra could be fatal to dogs on a fast (the study was actually terminated early due to the high death rate of the beagles). However, they also found that green tea, when given in smaller doses and combined with food, could be extremely beneficial for dogs.

Green tea is a common ingredient in dog food in 2022, accounting for about 10% of all ingredient listings. Matcha green tea contains EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), which accounts for more than half of the extract and is a well researched component. It has been determined by researchers that a 45-pound dog can safely consume up to 0.8 g of ECGC per day.

As per PetMD, dogs that consume more than 14 milligrams of coffee per pound of body weight frequently exhibit signs of agitation. Therefore, if you are using it for preventative health, you should ideally be giving your animal a dose that is much lower than this.

What about other foods high in antioxidants versus matcha?

Antioxidants, as I just explained, are essential for our dog’s defense against some fairly terrifying illnesses like cancer and heart disease.
Naturally, there are other foods and food products with high concentrations of them besides matcha powder.
Dark chocolate, pecans, strawberries, goji berries, acai berries, and blueberries are some more foods that are rich in antioxidants.
I need to make two points before you dash off to the grocery shop to pick up some of these items.

First off, even though dark chocolate may have high antioxidant content, dark chocolate is extremely harmful to dogs, so avoid giving it to them.
Second, the amount of antioxidants in matcha powder is far higher than in any of these foods.
It has up to seven times the antioxidant content of goji berries and fifteen times the antioxidant content of blueberries.

Is it common to find matcha powder?

The good news is that matcha powder is readily accessible despite being very pricey, depending on your point of view.
At Walmart, a best-selling powder presently costs roughly $21 for sixteen ounces.
Based on the previous suggestion, which calls for using 2g of powder each cup, that comes out to be more than two hundred cups of matcha at a cost of 10 cents apiece.
Considering other foods that are rich in antioxidants, a 48-ounce bag of blueberries at Walmart will set you back roughly $8.

This means that blueberries cost roughly a fraction of what matcha powder does.
However, matcha powder still offers greater value even if it has 15 times the concentration of antioxidants found in blueberries.
In order to wrap off this matcha and dogs article, let me briefly touch on a few well-known foods that include matcha.
Your dog shouldn’t be eating any of the following products just based on the fact that they are unhealthy.

The Bottom Line: Speak with your doctor about incorporating green tea into your dog’s diet, albeit sparingly.
Because of its high antioxidant content, green tea is beneficial to human and canine health. For your dog’s sake, adding the right amount of green tea to their diet has a surprising number of health benefits.

Consider the following scenario: your dog is overweight, aged, arthritic, has bad breath, and a matted coat. If so, you might want to incorporate some matcha green tea powder or dilute green tea made from used sencha bags into their meals. On the other hand, we advise contacting your physician if you wish to supplement green tea for your few-week-old puppy.