Not Safe for Dogs
Medium dog serving: never
Key warning: all tonic water — quinine toxic to dogs
Can Dogs Drink Tonic Water? No — Quinine is Toxic to Dogs
This food is NOT safe for dogs. Keep it away from your pet.
Tonic water is not safe for dogs. It contains quinine — a bitter compound that causes serious toxicity in dogs at low doses. Even a small amount of tonic water can cause vomiting tremors and seizures in dogs. Keep tonic water completely away from dogs.
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Warning Signs & Symptoms
Quinine toxicity: vomiting tremors seizures retinal damage and potentially fatal at higher doses. Dogs are far more sensitive to quinine than humans.
If Your Dog Ate This
Call vet or ASPCA 888-426-4435 immediately — do not wait for symptoms.
What to Avoid
all tonic water — quinine toxic to dogs
Preparation & Serving
Call vet or ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 immediately. Do not wait for symptoms.
Did you know?
Quinine was originally extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree native to South America and was the primary treatment for malaria from the 1600s until synthetic antimalarials were developed in the 1940s. British colonists in India mixed their quinine with water sugar and gin to make it more palatable — creating the gin and tonic. The amount of quinine in modern tonic water is far below the medicinal dose but still sufficient to affect dogs.
Portions & nutrition
- Serving (small dog)
- never
- Serving (medium dog)
- never
- Serving (large dog)
- never
- Calories (per 100g)
- 34
- Safe frequency
- Never
Source
What You Need to Know
Tonic water contains quinine — originally used as an antimalarial medication — at concentrations sufficient to cause toxicity in dogs. Dogs are significantly more sensitive to quinine than humans. While the quinine concentration in tonic water is low enough for safe human consumption it can cause vomiting tremors and in larger amounts seizures and retinal damage in dogs. There is no safe amount of tonic water for dogs. Gin and tonic tonic water mixed into cocktails and tonic water used in cooking all present this risk.
Tonic Water for Dogs Variations
Not sure what to do next? Read our emergency guide What to Do If Your Dog Eats Something Toxic
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Take the safety assessmentIf Your Dog Ate This — Act Now
- Dog Food Toxicity CalculatorCheck severity based on your dog's weight
- Emergency GuideWhat to do in the next 60 minutes
- Dog Poisoning SymptomsKnow what to watch for
- Dog Poisoning TreatmentWhat vets actually do
- Emergency Vet CostHow much will treatment cost?
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