HillsdaleHHR

Pet Shop Owner Creates Beer for Dogs
By Associated Press
Mon Jan 22, 8:38 AM

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - After a long day hunting, there's nothing like wrapping your paw around a cold bottle of beer. So Terrie Berenden, a pet shop owner in the southern Dutch town of Zelhem, created a beer for her Weimaraners made from beef extract and malt.

"Once a year we go to Austria to hunt with our dogs, and at the end of the day we sit on the verandah and drink a beer. So we thought, my dog also has earned it," she said.

Berenden consigned a local brewery to make and bottle the nonalcoholic beer, branded as Kwispelbier. It was introduced to the market last week and advertised it as "a beer for your best friend."

"Kwispel" is the Dutch word for wagging a tail.

The beer is fit for human consumption, Berenden said. But at euro1.65 ($2.14) a bottle, it's about four times more expensive than a Heineken.

captain howdy

If I were a dog I would be pissed if all I got at the end of the day was a NA beer. I would want the good stuff the humans are drinking!

HillsdaleHHR

They still haven't figured out the Beggin Strips aren't BACON!!

James06

One of my friends had a dog when we were growing up that liked beer and liquor both. We used to laugh at him when he got drunk. I guess that would be inhumane in today's society.

captain howdy

One of my uncles that passed away had a dog that LOVED beer! He would run into the room if he heard a can crack. I think he loved beer just as much as my uncle. I don't think it's inhumane if it's something the animal likes and desires as long as you're not forcing it on them.

HillsdaleHHR

Would have to ask a vet the side effects (liver damage?) of giving a dog alcohol. I'm sure there could be problems with their system?

James06

This one lived to a ripe old age (15 or 16), so it couldn't have been too bad.

HillsdaleHHR

Just looked online and found this:

"Is Alcohol Dangerous To Dogs Or Not?
For the record, alcohol always appears on the top of the list of "things that are toxic to pets".

Alcohol can cause serious intoxications in pets, and many dogs are attracted to it. Every year hundreds of dogs die after a single bout of alcohol consumption. Clean up glasses after holiday parties. Dogs are often attracted by the sweet taste of drinks, especially eggnog.
-- Drs. Foster & Smith
If a dog ingests alcohol, it can potentially result in:


vomiting

diarrhea

lack of coordination

central nervous system depression

difficulty breathing

tremors

acidosis

coma

and even death."

This is enough for me not to give my dog alcohol. Read further on and found this.

"DEAR PET DOCTOR: I have a golden retriever that is a walking vacuum cleaner,
and I'm afraid he may get a snootful from an unwatched drink. Is this
dangerous?

DEAR READER: Alcohol is an oft-overlooked pet risk. Many cats and dogs reject
the taste of alcohol. However, the holidays bring out all sorts of
alcohol-based beverages, such as eggnog, that are loaded with flavors that mask the
alcohol and may tempt the most sober pet. Fortunately, for a medium to large dog
such as yours, imbibing the amount of alcohol in a single drink is rarely
life-threatening. However, this amount of alcohol can make small dogs and cats
seriously ill."

captain howdy

All of the same side effects with as a human but we still keep drinking. My uncle wouldn't let his dog get completely trashed or anything. It made the dog happy and it never had any bad side effects to my knowledge. I'm not too sure of the exact age it died but it was fairly old. I would guess about 15 years old or so.

Snoopy

I must be a dog (I have been accused of it)....

All the "problems" listed are the same ones I have when drinking alcohol