Mandu (Korean dumplings)
CautionMandu filling almost always contains garlic chives or scallion plus onion and garlic. Steaming or pan-frying does not destroy Allium toxicity, hemolysis arrives 3-5 days later, and a whole dumpling swallowed by a small dog can obstruct.
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.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal pain
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Increased thirst
- Pale gums or mucous membranes
- Jaundice
- Haemoglobin in urine
- Weakness
- Rapid breathing
- Intestinal blockage
- Blocked oesophagus
- Pancreatitis
- Abdominal swelling
More about this food
Mandu looks like a mild food until you open one. A standard filling is ground pork, tofu, glass noodles and bean sprouts mixed with garlic chives or scallion, onion, minced garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil. Garlic chives, scallion, onion and garlic are all Allium. The ASPCA states that Allium species "can cause gastrointestinal irritation and red blood cell damage, which can lead to anemia."
Merck fills in the detail: sulfur-containing oxidants damage red blood cells, producing Heinz bodies and methemoglobinemia within 24 hours and peaking around 72 hours. Clinical signs have been reported in dogs from 15-30 g/kg of raw onion, with garlic more potent per gram. Critically, Merck states dogs are affected by Allium that is "raw, cooked, dehydrated, or granulated" -- steamed, pan-fried and deep-fried all count. And hemolysis "typically occurs 3-5 days after exposure," with Merck noting signs are generally not noticed until substantial hemolysis has already occurred. Pale gums, jaundice, port-colored urine, heavy lethargy and fast breathing are late findings.
Sodium and fat come along with it. The filling is seasoned with soy sauce and salt, and dumplings are eaten dipped in a soy-vinegar sauce. Merck puts clinical signs at 2-3 g/kg of sodium chloride and a lethal dose near 4 g/kg. Pan-fried and deep-fried mandu hold cooking oil, and Merck lists dietary indiscretion as a common canine pancreatitis risk factor.
There is a physical risk as well. Dogs that get into a bag of frozen dumplings tend to swallow them whole, because dogs crunch two or three times and swallow. In a small dog that can obstruct the esophagus or intestine, and Merck advises surgical removal if a foreign body fails to pass within 36-48 hours or stops moving on serial radiographs. Frozen dumplings are also hard enough to damage teeth. If your dog ate raw leavened dough -- the yeasted wrapper on large steamed buns before cooking -- treat that as a separate emergency: the ASPCA warns that yeast dough risks stomach bloat and alcohol toxicity.
Call your veterinarian, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435, with the type of dumpling, how many, whether they were cooked, the time and your dog's weight. Raw yeasted dough goes to an emergency clinic now. Do not induce vomiting at home and do not remove the water bowl.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I peel off the wrapper and give just that?
- The inside surface has already absorbed the garlic and chive compounds and the soy sauce sodium, and a flour wrapper offers a dog nothing nutritionally anyway. It is not worth sharing.
- Mine had scallion instead of garlic chives. Is that better?
- No. Garlic chives, scallion, onion and garlic are all Allium, and both the ASPCA and Merck treat them as the same hazard. Cooking does not remove the toxicity either way, so tell your vet what was eaten.
- My dog swallowed a frozen dumpling whole.
- Call your vet now because of the obstruction risk, and do not induce vomiting. Repeated vomiting, a guarded belly, no stool and lethargy are the warning signs, and Merck advises surgery if it has not passed within 36-48 hours.