Burdock root
CautionBurdock root is not a toxic vegetable, but dogs almost always meet it as gobo braised in soy sauce and sugar. The long fibrous strips are also easy to swallow whole and hard to pass.
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
Check the precautions before sharing
Risk depends on preparation, ingredients or amount. Read the precautions below; body weight alone cannot establish a safe portion.
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.
- Excess gas
- Loose stool
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal pain
- Choking
- Intestinal blockage
- Increased thirst
More about this food
Burdock root, sold as gobo, is a root vegetable with no published canine toxic dose. This is not a poisoning entry. It sits at caution for three practical reasons.
The first is seasoning. Almost nobody serves burdock plain. It shows up as ueong-jorim or kinpira gobo, simmered down in soy sauce, sugar, corn syrup, mirin and sesame oil, often with garlic. The American Kennel Club's rule for sharing human food is to avoid adding any seasonings, salt, sugar, oil or butter. Merck puts clinical signs of salt toxicosis in dogs at 2-3 g/kg of sodium chloride with roughly 4 g/kg lethal. Braised burdock has absorbed that liquid all the way through, so it carries far more sodium and sugar than its size suggests. The burdock inside a gimbap roll is the same braise.
The second is shape. Burdock is cut into long julienne strips or thick diagonal slices, and it is stringy and hard to bite through. Dogs crush food two or three times and swallow, so a wad of long burdock strips can go down intact and lodge in the esophagus or intestine. AKC warns that indigestible plant material can cause a serious intestinal blockage, and that is usually the part that matters when a dog inhales a whole gimbap roll.
The third is fiber. Burdock is high in fiber, so even a modest portion brings gas and loose stool, and more so in a dog with a sensitive gut.
If you want to offer it, peel it, boil it soft in plain water with nothing added, cut it short, and give a small amount inside the usual 10% treat budget. Do not hand a raw burdock stick over as a chew.
If your dog ate a pile of braised burdock, leave fresh water freely available, never restrict it, and call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. Repeated vomiting, a painful belly, no stool, lethargy or tremors point to obstruction or a sodium problem. Do not induce vomiting at home.
Frequently asked questions
- My dog ate the burdock out of a gimbap roll. Should I worry?
- That burdock was braised in soy sauce and sugar, and the roll adds sesame oil, salt and often ham and pickled radish. Leave water freely available and call your vet with an estimate of how much was eaten.
- Is plain boiled burdock okay?
- Peeled, boiled soft in plain water, cut short and given in small amounts, yes. Its fiber load causes gas and loose stool easily, so start with a very small piece and see how your dog handles it.
- Can I give a raw burdock stick as a chew?
- No. Raw burdock is stringy and hard to bite through, so a dog that gulps can swallow a long piece that then lodges in the esophagus or gut. Use a chew made for dogs instead.