Huskies can eat mint. To be more precise, huskies can eat one or two fresh peppermint leaves, wild mint leaves, or spearmint leaves. I want to mention what types of mint you should avoid feeding your husky. Do not give any English Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) mint to your husky because this type of mint is toxic to dogs. English Pennyroyal mint contains pulegone which is toxic to dogs.
Perilla mint is another kind of mint that you shouldn’t let your husky eat. Even if the Perilla mint has a minty flavor and we use it in recipes for human consumption, this mint is still toxic for dogs. Perilla mint is usually removed because it contains ketones that can cause respiratory distress to cattle, horses, and other ruminants. Don’t let your husky chew on the mint you find during your walks if you don’t know what type of mint it is. But as I said at the beginning, your dog can enjoy plenty of mint varieties. Just make sure you are not giving your dog English Pennyroyal or Perilla mint.
How much fresh peppermint or spearmint can my husky eat?
One or two fresh peppermint leaves or spearmint leaves are safe for your husky. You are not keeping him or her on a fresh mint diet. Don’t let your husky chomp down on the mint if you are growing mint in your garden. My huskies like mint, and if they could, they would eat the whole mint. Restrict your dog’s access to your herb garden. Too much fresh peppermint or spearmint will cause your dog to have an upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, and various irritation of the mouth and nose. You might want to go with your husky to a veterinarian, depending on how much mint he or she ate.
Only give your husky one or two leaves of spearmint or peppermint from time to time. Don’t give your dog more than two fresh mint leaves. Even if the quantity is small, it is more than enough if you want to treat your husky. He or she will definitely have fresh and minty breath even after chewing just one leaf.
Why do huskies like fresh mint?
Huskies and dogs, in general, like the minty scent of the mint, and some might even like the texture. Some dogs like to eat mint or other herbs just as they want to eat grass. And let’s not forget the fact that dogs discover the world with their mouths. They will usually try to chew things just to sample them. This is how they discover new tastes and new textures.
Nowadays, there are plenty of minty treats for dogs to refresh their breath and clean their teeth and mouth. Our furry friends enjoy chewing the minty and green chew treats. This is why the mint’s scent is not a strange scent for them and why they want to eat fresh mint.
My huskies like to eat some fresh mint from time to time. I give them a leaf or two when I’m watering my plants if they show any interest. They usually want more, but everything should be consumed in moderation. Even fresh mint leaves.
What type of mint is safe for dogs?
We need to think of mint as a family made of varieties of types of mint. The most known ones are spearmint and peppermint. These two varieties are safe for dogs to eat in small quantities from time to time.
But as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, you should keep your dog away from English pennyroyal mint and Perilla mint. You have to remove these types of mint from your garden if you are growing them, or at least try to block your husky’s access to them, and don’t feed your dog any leaves or any part of the plant. English Pennyroyal is toxic for dogs and people, while Perilla mint is used in Asian recipes for people but is toxic to dogs, cattle, horses, sheep, and other ruminants. Immediately call your dog’s veterinarian or take your dog to a clinic if your dog eats English pennyroyal or perilla mint. Your furry friend will need medical attention to get rid of the toxins.
Can huskies eat fresh mint leaves for bad breath?
You can give your husky one or two leaves of fresh mint to freshen his or her breath, but this will not resolve the bad breath problem. Bad breath in dogs can be the effect of an underlying health problem. The most common problems why your dog’s breath may smell bad are oral health issues, stomach issues, kidney or liver problems. Please talk with your husky’s veterinarian and tell him or her about this problem. The veterinarian will find the cause and help you to give your husky a healthy life and fresh breath.
Dental hygiene is extremely important for dogs, and you want to keep their teeth clean every day. Don’t let the plague and tartar build up because this will lead to bleeding gums, tooth decay, or tooth loss. Always use toothpaste made for dogs. Do not use the toothpaste made for us, the people, to brush your dog’s teeth. I wrote more about this subject in How to clean your husky’s teeth.
What happens if my husky eats too much mint?
Some huskies will not take no for an answer, especially when it is about something they really want. Accidents can happen, and your husky can find himself chomping down an entire mint plant from your garden or from a pot. Call your dog’s veterinarian and tell her or him what happened. The risks depend on your dog’s size and the amount of mint ingested.
For a medium size dog, it might not be a reason to panic if he or she eats a mint plant, but it is better to monitor your husky and give a call to a vet. A whole mint plant may cause stomach problems for your dog. Still, your dog’s veterinarian knows the medical situation of your dog, and he or she may induce vomiting.
Mint essential oil is toxic to your husky
Mint essential oil is toxic to dogs. Either if we talk about peppermint essential oil or spearmint essential oil, these oils should never be ingested or used on your husky’s fur or skin, or added to homemade dog recipes. There are plenty of articles on the internet about the use of peppermint oil for flea treatment, but don’t use peppermint oil for flea treatment on your dog. There are plenty of products that work against fleas without putting your dog’s health at risk. Peppermint essential oil is concentrated, and if it is applied directly on your dog’s skin can cause rashes, irritation, and skin reactions. Even if you don’t apply the essential oil directly on the dog’s skin, and you put it on the fur, your dog will reach it, and he or she will lick it, causing him or her diarrhea and discomfort.
The potent smell of a mint essential oil can cause respiratory irritation to a dog. Essential oils are extremely concentrated. If you spill peppermint or spearmint essential oil on the floor or on the furniture, make sure to clean it before your dog will get a chance to lick it. Keep the essential oil bottles far away from your husky. If your dog saw you with those bottles in your hand, he or she might want to see what’s up with them.
Your husky should never lick or consume spearmint oil or peppermint essential oil. These oils are toxic to dogs, and your dogs should never lick them or consume them. It can cause your dog diarrhea, weakness, vomiting, or worse. Call your dog’s veterinarian or go to a clinic if your dog eats peppermint essential oil or spearmint essential oil.
Can my husky eat mint ice cream?
Your husky can’t eat mint ice cream made for people. Mint ice cream can have a high sugar content or can be sweetened with xylitol. As I keep mentioning, always make sure you don’t give anything with xylitol to your dog. Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs, even in small amounts. Mint ice cream also contains chocolate which is toxic to dogs, and it can be flavored with mint essential oil. Mint essential oil is also toxic to dogs. In the article Can my husky eat ice cream I talked more about what types of ice cream you should avoid giving to your husky.
Frozen treats for dogs
Make some frozen treats with plain Greek yogurt (if your dog is not lactose intolerant) with some bits of mint for your dog so he or she can enjoy it while you eat ice cream. If your dog is lactose intolerant, you can make some frozen treats with fruits or vegetables puree. Just puree the fruits or vegetables, pour them into a freezer container and freeze it for a few hours or overnight. Let it soften a bit before you give it to your husky.
Can my husky eat mint gum, mints, candy, or candy canes?
No, your dog shouldn’t eat mint gum, mints, candies, mint tic tacs, Altoids, mint imperials, polo mints, or candy canes. Most mint candies or gums are sweetened with xylitol or sugar. Products marketed as zero sugar might be sweetened with artificial sugars. Xylitol is one of them. Sugarless gum or zero-calorie candies can be sweetened with xylitol.
Sugar is not good for dogs, but xylitol is poisonous to dogs. Don’t give anything that contains xylitol to your dog. You can find xylitol in plenty of products: gum, candies, yogurt, puddings, baked goods, ice cream, toothpaste, and many more.
Always read the ingredients before you let your dog have a bite of any type of product. Xylitol is not poisonous to people but for dogs it is extremely toxic. When a dog ingests xylitol, his or her pancreas will release insulin rapidly. This will lead to a significant decrease in the level of sugar in the blood. Immediately call your dog’s veterinarian or go to a clinic if your dog ingested xylitol. The smallest amount of xylitol can harm your dog and leads to low blood sugar, collapse, seizures, liver damage, and more.
Does your husky like to steal? Keep all the sweets in a cabinet, or somewhere your husky can’t reach them. Dogs learn pretty fast, so make sure they will not learn how to get in the treats.
Can huskies eat mint jelly or mint sauce?
The mint jelly or mint sauce recipes for people usually contain sugar and way too much mint for your dog to ingest. Sugar is not good for dogs, and a large amount of mint ingested by a dog can lead to stomach problems, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Do you want to treat your husky? You can make some special treats for your dog at home. Combine a tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt (if your husky is not lactose intolerant) with two mint leaves and give your husky a refreshing treat.
Conclusion about if your husky can eat mint
My dogs are crazy about mint and enjoy the smell, taste, and texture. Your dogs can safely try one or two leaves of fresh peppermint or spearmint from time to time.
Make sure you don’t let your dog consume English pennyroyal or Perilla mint because these two types are poisonous to dogs. Don’t let your husky eat mint if you find a mint plant on a trail during a walk and you can’t tell what type of mint it is. Better safe than sorry. You can use fresh mint when you’re making some frozen dog treats at home or while you’re cooking for your dog.
Has your dog ever tried fresh mint leaves? Give a leaf to your dog and see if he or she likes it.
As I mentioned earlier, my huskies could eat the whole mint, but they don’t have access to it. If you also have a garden or pots with fresh mint, make sure your dog will not get in and eat those aromatic plants.
Another important thing to remember is to keep the peppermint essential oil or spearmint essential oil far away from your dogs because it is toxic to them. Don’t let your dogs lick or eat essential mint oils, and don’t use the mint essential oil on your dogs because it will cause them skin rashes, vomiting, and stomach problems. But let’s get back to fresh mint herbs.
I usually have fresh herbs in pots and in my garden, so my huskies can try a bit if the herbs are safe for them. This is why I read more about what herbs are safe for my dogs to eat and why I wrote this article. I hope I answered all your questions regarding mints and huskies and you found this article informative and useful.
