Can Dogs Eat Spaghetti Sauce? No — Garlic and Onion

Why spaghetti sauce is risky for dogs

The tomato is not the main problem. The AKC considers ripe tomatoes non-toxic, but says tomato-based products such as pasta sauce should be avoided because they often contain garlic, onions, salt or sugar, which can be harmful or irritating to dogs.

The ASPCA explains that garlic and onion, both Allium vegetables, can cause stomach irritation and red blood cell damage that can lead to anemia. In sauces they are often cooked down or added as powder, which concentrates them, and you cannot pick them out once they are mixed in.

Meat sauce, cheese and the rest of the plate

Bolognese and meat sauces add fatty ground beef or sausage, and the plate often carries parmesan, garlic bread and buttered pasta. Fatty meals commonly cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs and can trigger pancreatitis, especially in small breeds.

Some sauces also include red wine, which adds alcohol, or chili flakes that irritate the gut. Meatballs are usually seasoned with garlic, onion and herbs, and some herbs used in Italian cooking, such as oregano, are listed as toxic by the ASPCA.

If you like to share small snacks, a lick mat or a treat ball makes a little go further and slows a fast eater down.

My dog ate spaghetti sauce: what to do

Work out roughly how much sauce was eaten and check the jar label or recipe for garlic, onion, wine and sweeteners. A lick or a strand of sauced spaghetti for a medium or large dog usually needs only monitoring.

Call your vet or a poison line if your dog ate a bowl of sauce or a plate of spaghetti, if your dog is small, or if the sauce had a lot of garlic or onion. Do not make your dog vomit unless told to. Signs of red blood cell damage can take a few days, so call even if your dog seems fine now.

Is any amount of spaghetti sauce okay?

There is no serving to recommend. The amount of garlic and onion varies widely between recipes and brands, and the effect can build up when small amounts are eaten repeatedly, so even regular licks from plates are best avoided.

Dogs under 20 lb, puppies, and certain breeds that are more sensitive to onion damage are at higher risk. The AKC notes that Akitas and Shiba Inus are more susceptible to onion toxicity.

Puppies and spaghetti sauce

Puppies are small, so the same spoonful of garlicky sauce is a much larger dose for them, and the fat and acidity are more likely to cause diarrhea. A puppy that ate pasta sauce should be discussed with a vet sooner rather than later.

Keep plates and saucepans out of reach while they cool, and scrape leftovers into a lidded trash can. Puppies quickly learn to jump for anything that smells of meat sauce.

Signs to watch for and when to call a vet

Stomach upset can appear within a few hours: vomiting, diarrhea, drooling or a sore belly. Signs of onion and garlic damage often take a few days to appear and include weakness, lethargy, pale gums, fast breathing, a fast heart rate and reddish or dark urine.

Go to a vet the same day for repeated vomiting, a painful belly or lethargy. Go straight away for pale gums, rapid breathing, collapse or dark urine, and tell the vet what the dog ate and when.

Safer ways to share pasta night

Plain cooked pasta with nothing on it is not toxic, though it is mostly starch, so a few plain noodles is plenty. A little plain cooked ground beef, drained of fat and unseasoned, can be added to your dog's own food as a treat.

For a tomato taste, a small piece of ripe, fresh tomato is fine according to the AKC. Set aside your dog's portion before any sauce, cheese or seasoning goes on the plate.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.