My Dog Licked Diet Coke What Should I Do?

Don’t you just love a diet Coke, with ice, on a warm day? It’s so refreshing and tastes so good! And then there’s the fizziness of the soda to enjoy, too! If your dog sees you enjoying some diet Coke, he may want some, too! So, what would happen if your dog licked some diet Coke?

Has your dog licked some diet Coke? Are you worried the diet Coke will make your dog sick? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. We understand it can be scary when your dog does something like this.

In this article, we’ll take a look at diet Coke and whether or not it can make a dog sick. Let’s get started!

What is Diet Coke?

Diet Coke is a sugar-free soda, which has no calories. It’s made by the Coca-Cola Company. The drink first came out in 1982 and became very popular around the US. Like original Coke, diet Coke comes in a wide variety of flavors, including cherry, lemon, vanilla, lime, and more.

Diet Coke includes the following ingredients:

• Carbonated water
• Caramel color
• Phosphoric acid
• Natural flavor
• Aspartame (an artificial sweetener)
• Potassium benzoate
• Potassium citrate
• Acesulfame-potassium
• Caffeine

While these ingredients are safe enough for humans, are they safe for dogs? Can dogs lick diet Coke safely?

Diet Coke & Dogs

Unfortunately, diet Coke is not very good for dogs. One note—if your dog has only one small lick of diet Coke, he should be OK. However, if he has more, he could become sick.

While the aspartame in diet Coke is not toxic to dogs, this ingredient can cause gastrointestinal issues in dogs. The beverage also contains caffeine. Caffeine is extremely toxic to dogs. Dogs aren’t able to metabolize caffeine the way we can.

If your dog isn’t able to deal with aspartame very well, he may develop some mild diarrhea and vomiting. These symptoms should last no longer than 24 hours. If they do, then we recommend calling the vet. This is because repeated bouts of diarrhea and vomiting can lead to dehydration.

The vet can treat diarrhea and vomiting, as well as use IV fluids to rehydrate your dog. 

Symptoms of Caffeine Poisoning in Dogs

One thing to keep in mind with caffeine is that a larger dog who takes one lick of caffeine may not experience any symptoms of caffeine poisoning. However, it is possible a very small dog who takes one lick could become sick. For this reason, we’ll share the symptoms of caffeine poisoning in dogs.

You may notice these symptoms if your dog has had caffeine:

• Seizures
• Panting
• Agitation
• Nervousness
• Rapid heartbeat
• Hypothermia
• Shaking
• Hyperactivity

If your dog shows any of these symptoms, then call the vet right away. This could be an emergency.

The vet will treat caffeine poisoning as they would any other type of poisoning. The prognosis for a dog with caffeine poisoning depends on the amount of caffeine he ingested. However, we can say that dogs who receive prompt treatment for this condition have a better chance of making a complete recovery!