Baking Soda
ToxicBaking soda is sodium bicarbonate, so a large ingestion is a sodium toxicosis case. Roughly two tablespoons can reach the lethal range for a 10 lb dog, and it also releases CO2 in the stomach. If a box spilled, call your vet now.
This food guide has not been reviewed by a veterinarian. It summarises general information from sources and should not be used to decide whether a food is suitable for an individual dog or to assess an emergency.
Check before feeding
Do not offer as a treat
There is no recommended treat portion for this hazardous item. If swallowed, contact a vet with the amount, time and product details. Do not induce vomiting yourself.
Signs and health concerns
This list includes both observable signs and conditions identified through examination or testing. It cannot establish the cause or whether an exposure is safe.
- Drooling
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal swelling
- Abdominal pain
- Increased thirst
- Poor coordination or balance
- Pressing the head against objects
- Tremors
- Seizures
More about this food
Baking soda is not a food. It is sodium bicarbonate, about 27% sodium by weight, and when a dog eats a meaningful amount the body treats it exactly like eating table salt. Serum sodium climbs, water is pulled osmotically out of brain cells, and then during rehydration the brain swells again. That rebound cerebral edema is what makes salt toxicosis hard to treat and why this belongs in veterinary hands rather than at home.
Here is the arithmetic. The Merck Veterinary Manual puts signs of salt toxicosis in dogs at 2-3 g/kg of sodium chloride, with an acute oral lethal dose of about 4 g/kg. Baking soda carries less sodium per gram than salt, so 1 g of baking soda is equivalent to roughly 0.7 g of salt; a level teaspoon weighs about 4.6 g, or roughly 3 g salt-equivalent. For a 10 lb (4.5 kg) dog that puts the symptomatic range at about 3-5 teaspoons and the potentially lethal range near two tablespoons. A 22 lb (10 kg) dog can get there on two to three tablespoons. An Arm & Hammer box knocked off the counter and licked off the floor is well inside those numbers.
There is a second mechanism. Bicarbonate reacts with stomach acid and releases carbon dioxide, so the stomach distends, the belly gets tight and painful, and retching follows. Metabolic alkalosis on top of that pushes electrolytes further out of line.
Timing: drooling and nausea start within minutes. Vomiting, diarrhea and heavy drinking follow over the next few hours. The dangerous neurologic signs -- wobbling, head pressing, muscle tremors, seizures -- come on over 3 to 24 hours, so a dog that looks fine at bedtime is not necessarily out of it.
Grab the box, estimate what is missing, note your dog's weight and the time, and call your veterinarian or an emergency clinic. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is at (888) 426-4435 and Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661. Never take the water bowl away in a sodium case, and do not force large volumes of water either: serum sodium has to be lowered at 0.5-1.0 mEq/L per hour under supervision, and dropping it fast causes cerebral edema. Do not induce vomiting at home, and never use salt or salt water to do it -- that is its own poisoning. Remember baking soda also lives in fridge deodorizer boxes, carpet freshener, cleaning tubs and some toothpastes.
Frequently asked questions
- My dog licked a little off a spoon. Is that an emergency?
- A lick off a spoon usually produces drooling and lip-smacking and nothing more. Leave plenty of fresh water out and watch for a few hours. If a box spilled or you cannot tell how much is gone, that is a different situation -- weigh the dog, note the time, and call your vet or the APCC at (888) 426-4435.
- He ate cookies made with baking soda. Same problem?
- No. The soda in a baked cookie has already reacted and the per-cookie amount is tiny, so sodium is rarely the emergency. Check the rest of the recipe first: chocolate, raisins, xylitol and macadamia nuts are far more dangerous than the leavening.
- I sprinkled carpet freshener and now he keeps licking the rug.
- Spread across a carpet the dose per lick is small, but repeated licking adds up and the product may also contain fragrance oils. Vacuum it up completely and only use it in rooms your dog cannot reach. Call your vet if you see heavy drinking, vomiting or any wobbliness.