Can Dogs Eat Eggnog? What to Do If Your Dog Drinks Some

Last updated: December 2025

What is actually in eggnog, and why does it matter for dogs?

Eggnog is basically a dessert in a glass. Traditional recipes combine milk, cream, eggs, sugar and spices, most often nutmeg, and many holiday versions add rum, bourbon or brandy. Every one of those ingredients matters when the drinker weighs 15 or 50 pounds instead of 150.

The USDA nutrient profile for plain eggnog shows why even the alcohol-free kind is a poor dog treat. One cup (about 254 grams) has 224 calories, 10.6 grams of fat, 6.6 grams of it saturated, and 20.4 grams of sugar. Almost all of that sugar, 19.9 grams, is lactose, the milk sugar many adult dogs struggle to digest. There is no fiber at all.

One cup holds 16 tablespoons, so each tablespoon of eggnog carries about 14 calories and a bit under a gram of fat. A dog who drains a half-full glass left on the coffee table can easily take in more than 100 calories of fat and lactose in a few seconds.

So the risk depends on four questions, and it helps to answer them before you call anyone:

• Was it spiked? Alcohol is the ingredient that turns a messy moment into an emergency.
• How much did your dog drink? A lick, a few laps, a glass or the whole carton.
• How big is your dog? The same amount is far more serious for a Chihuahua than for a Labrador.
• Was it homemade or sugar-free? Homemade can mean raw eggs and heavy nutmeg. Sugar-free can mean xylitol.

Grab the carton or the recipe now. The ingredient label is the single most useful thing you can give your vet.

Is spiked eggnog dangerous for dogs?

Yes. Alcohol is the biggest eggnog danger by far. The ASPCA warns that alcoholic drinks can cause vomiting, diarrhea, incoordination, depression, difficulty breathing, tremors, changes in blood pH, coma and even death in pets, and notes that alcohol is absorbed rapidly, so prompt action matters.

The sweet, fatty cream in eggnog hides the taste of alcohol that would normally put a dog off. The spirits used in eggnog, such as rum, bourbon and brandy, average around 40 percent alcohol by volume, and overproof rums are stronger still.

Pet Poison Helpline says signs can appear as soon as 20 minutes after exposure and include vomiting, diarrhea, sedation, disorientation and dangerous drops in blood sugar, body temperature and breathing rate. How serious it gets depends on the dose, which is calculated from the amount of alcohol, its strength, and the size and species of the animal. That is why a small dog and a strong, homemade nog are the worst combination.

One real case shows the scale. Pet Poison Helpline described a dog named Kona who drank an entire 1.75 liter bottle of a store-brand holiday eggnog that contained alcohol. The team recommended immediate evaluation and treatment, and Kona made a full recovery.

“Many holiday eggnogs are spiked with liquor. Kona’s ingestion posed a risk for ethanol poisoning with signs including sedation, ataxia (difficulty walking), hypoglycemia, hypothermia, gastrointestinal upset, metabolic acidosis (causing low serum bicarbonate), respiratory depression and failure.”

Dr. Renee Schmid, senior veterinary toxicologist, Pet Poison Helpline, quoted in WRTV

The good news is that alcohol poisoning is treatable. With veterinary care, Pet Poison Helpline says clinical signs usually resolve in 24 to 36 hours. The key is getting help early, before a drop in blood sugar or body temperature sets in. Do not wait to see whether your dog “sleeps it off.”

Is nutmeg toxic to dogs in eggnog?

Nutmeg is the ingredient that worries people most, and the one that usually matters least in a drink. Nutmeg contains a compound called myristicin, and in large amounts it is genuinely toxic to dogs. In the amount sprinkled into or on top of eggnog, it is very unlikely to cause serious harm.

Dr. Charlotte Flint, a staff veterinarian at Pet Poison Helpline, explains that the small amount of nutmeg used in recipes is very unlikely to cause serious toxicity, though mild stomach upset could happen. A pet would need to eat a very large amount, which is unlikely when a dog eats food with nutmeg in it. Mild signs can look like lip-smacking, drooling, a poor appetite or a quieter dog than usual.

Dose is what changes the picture. PetMD, in an article by Dr. Barri Morrison, puts the toxic dose at around 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg or two to three whole nutmeg seeds. At those levels, signs can include:

• Vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain
• Disorientation or hallucinations
• A fast heart rate and high blood pressure
• Dry mouth and elevated body temperature
• Seizures in severe cases

Pet Poison Helpline notes these signs can last up to 48 hours. That is why the real nutmeg risk at Christmas is not the glass of nog. It is the spice jar knocked off the counter, a bowl of heavily spiced batter or whole nutmegs. We cover the same spice in baked goods in our guide to whether dogs can eat gingerbread.

Why can dairy, raw egg and fat in eggnog make dogs sick?

Even when the eggnog has no alcohol and only a pinch of nutmeg, the base of the drink can still give a dog a rough night. Three things do most of the damage: lactose, fat and, in homemade versions, raw egg. Sugar plays a smaller supporting role.

Lactose and the dairy problem

Most of the sugar in eggnog is lactose. The USDA profile shows 19.9 grams of lactose in a single cup. Many dogs do not make enough of the enzyme needed to break lactose down, so the milk sugar moves through the gut undigested and pulls water with it. The usual result is gas, a gurgling belly and loose stool within several hours. Our guide to whether dogs can eat cheese explains why some dairy goes down easier than others.

Fat and the pancreatitis risk

Eggnog recipes use whole milk, light cream, heavy cream or a mix. Those range from about 3.25 percent fat for whole milk to more than 36 percent for heavy cream, so a rich homemade nog can carry much more fat than the USDA figure for a plain commercial one. The American Kennel Club notes that a high-fat diet is one of the most common triggers for pancreatitis, and that in some dogs even a single large serving of fatty food can bring on an episode. Emergency clinics often see more cases after big food holidays for exactly this reason.

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, and it hurts. Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine lists nausea, vomiting, lethargy, poor appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever among the signs, and says severe cases can be fatal. Treatment usually means pain relief, anti-nausea medication and IV fluids. Dogs who have had it before, and breeds prone to it, should be kept well away from cream-based drinks and desserts.

Raw egg and salmonella

Store-bought eggnog is made with pasteurized eggs and dairy, which kills disease-causing bacteria. Traditional homemade eggnog is another story, because some recipes use raw eggs or uncooked whipped egg whites. The ASPCA warns that raw eggs can carry bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli that can harm pets and people, and that raw eggs contain an enzyme that can interfere with the absorption of certain vitamins.

Healthy adult dogs often handle Salmonella without obvious illness. In one study run by the FDA with diagnostic laboratories, only 55 percent of infected dogs had diarrhea. That sounds reassuring, but it means a dog can carry and shed the bacteria around your home without looking sick, which matters if you have young children, older relatives or anyone with a weak immune system visiting for the holidays.

Put together, the most likely outcome after a dog drinks a modest amount of plain, alcohol-free eggnog is a day of digestive upset. Offer fresh water, skip any other rich food or treats for the next day, and watch for vomiting that repeats, a hunched or painful belly, or a dog who will not eat. Those signs call for a vet visit. If you want the bigger picture on what is risky in the pantry, our list of foods dogs can’t eat covers the main offenders.

Is sugar-free or light eggnog worse for dogs?

It can be. Some sugar-free, “light” or keto-style eggnogs, and many homemade low-sugar recipes, replace sugar with substitutes. Most of those are not a big concern for dogs, but one of them is extremely dangerous: xylitol.

In dogs, xylitol triggers a rapid, dose-dependent release of insulin that can send blood sugar crashing. The Merck Veterinary Manual reports that doses above about 100 mg per kilogram (45 mg per pound) have been linked to low blood sugar, and doses above about 500 mg per kilogram (227 mg per pound) can cause severe liver injury or failure. Signs of low blood sugar can show up within 30 minutes and include vomiting, weakness, wobbliness, lethargy, seizures and coma. Liver damage may not show for 24 to 48 hours, even though blood tests can detect changes much sooner.

There is no way to judge a safe amount by looking at a glass, because the xylitol content varies from product to product. That is why the label matters so much.

• Check the ingredient list of any sugar-free, reduced-sugar or diet eggnog, coffee creamer or protein shake your dog got into.
• If xylitol is listed, call your vet or a poison hotline right away, even if your dog seems perfectly fine.
• Do not try to make your dog vomit at home unless a vet tells you to. With xylitol, blood sugar can drop quickly, and Merck advises inducing vomiting only under veterinary supervision.

Merck notes that the outlook for uncomplicated low blood sugar is good when treatment starts promptly, which is exactly why a fast call matters more than waiting for symptoms.

My dog drank eggnog. What should I do right now?

Stay calm and work through it in order. First, take the glass or carton away and keep any remaining eggnog so you can read the label. Second, estimate how much is missing. Third, check whether it was spiked, homemade or sugar-free. Then use the table below as a starting point. It is general guidance, not a diagnosis, and when in doubt the right answer is always to call.

While you wait for advice, keep your dog somewhere quiet and warm, offer water, and do not give food, milk or home remedies. Write down the time your dog drank it, the brand or recipe, and your dog’s weight. For a step-by-step plan that works for any household mishap, see our guide on what to do when your dog ate something it shouldn’t.

When should you call the vet or a pet poison hotline?

Call right away, without waiting for symptoms, if any of these apply:

• The eggnog had any alcohol in it, or you cannot rule that out.
• The eggnog was sugar-free and the label lists xylitol.
• Your dog ate ground nutmeg straight from the jar or whole nutmegs.
• Your dog is small, very young, elderly, diabetic or has had pancreatitis before.
• Your dog drank a large amount of any eggnog.

Call or go in urgently if you see stumbling, unusual sleepiness, weakness, trembling, slow breathing, collapse, a cold body, seizures, repeated vomiting or a painful, hunched belly.

Two 24/7 animal poison hotlines staffed by veterinary toxicology experts can help, and both charge a consultation fee:

• Pet Poison Helpline: 855-764-7661
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: 888-426-4435

Have the label, your dog’s weight and your best estimate of the amount ready when you call. If your regular clinic is closed, the hotline can tell you whether your dog needs to go to an emergency hospital. Holiday parties also bring open drinks, dropped pills and food on low tables, so our Christmas pet safety guide and New Year’s Eve pet safety tips are worth a quick read before guests arrive.

Busy gatherings are also when doors get left open. If your dog slips out while everyone is distracted, the person who finds them needs your number and any medical notes fast.

Is there a dog-safe holiday nog you can make instead?

If you want your dog to have a festive cup while everyone toasts, make a simple “pup nog” that keeps the creamy look and drops every risky ingredient. There is no alcohol, no nutmeg or other spices, no sugar, no sweeteners and no raw egg.

• 2 tablespoons plain, unsweetened yogurt with no sweeteners
• 1 tablespoon plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water to thin it

Stir it together and serve a spoonful or two in a bowl or on a lick mat. Plain yogurt is a reasonable snack for many dogs, but some dogs do not tolerate dairy well. If your dog is one of them, skip the yogurt and mix pumpkin with water instead.

Keep the portion small. Many veterinary nutritionists recommend limiting treats to about 10 percent of a dog’s daily calories, and that budget includes table scraps and holiday extras. If your dog eats 500 calories a day, that leaves about 50 calories for everything extra, so the pup nog, a few training treats and a bite of plain turkey can use it up fast. Unsweetened cranberries are another easy seasonal add-on in small amounts, as our guide to whether dogs can eat cranberries explains.

Want to include your dog in the fun without any calories at all? Turn them into a holiday character instead. The free Lohji app (App Store or Google Play) turns one photo of your pet into a 3D animated-movie-style cartoon, then lets you send it as iMessage stickers, including seasonal Christmas and New Year’s Eve designs. It gets more laughs in the family group chat than a glass of nog, and nobody’s stomach pays for it.

Frequently asked questions