Banana peppers are medium-sized chili peppers with a slightly sweet and tangy taste. Banana peppers aren’t considered a variety of hot peppers because they don’t offer heat or tingle. This fruit is five times milder than jalapeno peppers and is commonly added in sandwiches, salads, pizzas, or as stuffing to meat.
Although banana peppers aren’t spicy to humans, you should always be careful when giving some to your dogs. Their bodies are built differently than yours — and foods that aren’t spicy for you don’t automatically mean that it’s safe for them.
Banana peppers are a no-no for your dogs. Peppers aren’t natural dog food, and adding even a small quantity of banana peppers to their diets can cause the following health risks:
Causes Burning Sensation In Your Dogs’ Tongues
Banana peppers contain capsaicin, a chemical that creates a hot taste. This chemical is used as a defense mechanism to discourage animals (including your fur baby) from eating banana peppers. When eaten, banana peppers can leave a burning sensation in your dogs’ mouths, which can eventually affect their tongues and throats.
Irritates Your Dogs’ Mouths And Stomachs
While humans can easily tolerate the flavor of banana peppers, your dogs can’t. Some varieties of banana peppers are too spicy for your furry friends and can irritate their mouths and stomachs. When this happens, eating can be a struggle and might even become the reason why your dogs will lose interest in food.
May Cause Damage To Your Dogs’ Intestines
The burning sensation brought by banana peppers doesn’t end in your dogs’ mouth. When chewed, the burning sensation can travel through your dogs’ digestive tracts and damage the inner lining of their esophagus, intestines, and stomachs.
Excessive consumption of spicy foods can also trigger stomach ulcers in dogs. While banana peppers aren’t that spicy compared to other varieties of peppers, they can still cause harm inside your dogs’ bodies and trigger stomach pain and diarrhea.
What Should You Do When Your Dogs Accidentally Ate Banana Peppers?
If your four-legged friends stole one banana pepper from your kitchen, there’s no need to worry. Your dogs’ bodies can tolerate this amount and will only experience temporary side effects.
To prevent any symptoms from worsening, wash their paws and mouth immediately using cold water. You need to remove the chili residue from their bodies to minimize any discomfort caused by the heat from eating banana peppers. Give them plenty of water, so they can soothe their tongue and mouth and flush out the banana peppers from their bodies by urinating frequently.
What Symptoms Should You Watch Out For?
Different dogs have different tolerances to spices. While some pooches will act perfectly fine after consuming banana peppers, others will require immediate medical attention.
If your dogs exhibit any of the symptoms listed below, rush them to the vet immediately:
- Abnormal stool appearance (greenish or yellowing stools)
- Anal bleeding
- Coughing or gagging
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Drooling
- Dry heaving
- Pawing at the mouth
- Water eyes
How Can You Prevent Your Dogs From Eating Banana Peppers?
Banana peppers can have detrimental effects on your dogs’ health, so make sure that this fruit is out of their reach. Ideally, you should keep banana peppers in airtight containers and place them in hard-to-reach areas. If possible, hide them inside cabinets or drawers.
Are There Any Dog-Friendly Substitutes For Banana Peppers?
Instead of giving your dogs banana peppers as snacks or treats, opt for healthier and safer alternatives. Swap banana peppers for the foods listed below to keep your dogs healthier and happier:
Bell Peppers
Green, orange, red, and yellow bell peppers are safe and healthy for your furry friends. Bell peppers are packed with antioxidants that can protect your dogs’ cells from the effects of aging. Bell peppers also have low-calorie content, which means that feeding some to your dogs can help keep their weights in check.
Watermelon
If you’re looking for a high-fiber snack for your dogs, watermelon is one of your best bets. This fruit is packed with fiber that can soften your dogs’ stool and support a healthier bowel movement. Watermelon also contains 92% water that can aid your dogs’ hydration.
Cucumber
Cucumbers are also a great snack for overweight dogs because they’re very low in calories. This vegetable has vitamin C that supports your dogs’ immune system by fighting cancers, reducing inflammation, and protecting them from cognitive aging.
Banana
Instead of giving your dogs banana peppers, why not give them regular bananas? Bananas contain calcium that can increase your dogs’ bone and teeth strength. Thanks to its vitamin B6 content, bananas can also promote cognitive capacity that can keep your dogs’ minds sharp.
Carrots
Carrots are rich in vitamin A that supports healthy eyesight and makes your dogs’ coats and skin healthier. Carrots also have vitamins B, C, and K that are all essential to ensure that your dogs’ bodies are functioning properly.
Consult A Vet
Even though banana peppers don’t taste spicy to humans, you should never give any to your furry friends as this can have long-term effects on their health. If you want to change your dogs’ diets, talk to your vet first. They can recommend safe and healthy human foods to ensure that your dogs aren’t harmed in any way.