Wine

Do not give ordinary wine to dogs or cats. Ethanol is absorbed quickly and can depress the brain, breathing and metabolism. Call the clinic immediately after ingestion rather than waiting for symptoms.

Reviewed: October 14, 2026

Can I give it?

For dogs and cats: Dangerous Urgent help needed

Conditions and risks Already eaten — what now?Check the variant (4)

A dark bottle and a glass of red wine on a red background with dog and cat outlines: ordinary wine is dangerous to both species

Already eaten — what now?

For dogs and cats

Urgent help needed

Remove the drink, keep the bottle and call the clinic immediately. Give your pet’s species and weight, the wine’s alcohol strength, the possible amount and the time. Do not wait for symptoms or induce vomiting yourself. If your pet is unsteady, very drowsy, repeatedly vomiting, trembling, seizing, unconscious or struggling to breathe, leave for an open clinic while you call.

Check the variant

Variants and ingredients

Ordinary and sparkling wineFor dogs and cats: Dangerous · Urgent help needed

Red, white, rosé and sparkling wine containing ethanol.

For dogs and cats

Conditions and restrictions

Do not offer ordinary red, white, rosé or sparkling wine. Colour, sweetness and bubbles do not remove the ethanol risk.

Benefits

Wine has no benefit for dogs or cats. Do not offer it as a drink, treat or way to “calm” a pet.

Risks

Ethanol is absorbed quickly. Vomiting, drooling, poor coordination, disorientation, marked drowsiness and weakness may follow.
Severe poisoning can lower body temperature and blood glucose and may cause metabolic acidosis, tremors, seizures, coma and respiratory depression.
Vomiting while consciousness is depressed raises the risk of aspiration. Risk rises with alcohol strength and the amount swallowed relative to the pet’s size.

Already eaten — what now?

Fortified wineFor dogs and cats: Dangerous · Urgent help needed

Wine with a higher alcohol strength; the exact percentage depends on the product.

For dogs and cats

Conditions and restrictions

Do not offer fortified wine. A higher alcohol strength means more ethanol in the same volume; check the label for the exact percentage.

Benefits

Wine has no benefit for dogs or cats. Do not offer it as a drink, treat or way to “calm” a pet.

Risks

Ethanol is absorbed quickly. Vomiting, drooling, poor coordination, disorientation, marked drowsiness and weakness may follow.
Severe poisoning can lower body temperature and blood glucose and may cause metabolic acidosis, tremors, seizures, coma and respiratory depression.
Vomiting while consciousness is depressed raises the risk of aspiration. Risk rises with alcohol strength and the amount swallowed relative to the pet’s size.

Already eaten — what now?

Sangria, mulled wine and wine cocktailsFor dogs and cats: Dangerous · Urgent help needed

Wine combined with fruit, sweeteners, spices or other ingredients.

For dogs and cats

Conditions and restrictions

Do not offer sangria, mulled wine or a wine cocktail. The whole recipe matters because fruit, raisins, chocolate, caffeine, xylitol and spices may add separate hazards.

Benefits

Wine has no benefit for dogs or cats. Do not offer it as a drink, treat or way to “calm” a pet.

Risks

Ethanol is absorbed quickly. Vomiting, drooling, poor coordination, disorientation, marked drowsiness and weakness may follow.
Severe poisoning can lower body temperature and blood glucose and may cause metabolic acidosis, tremors, seizures, coma and respiratory depression.
Vomiting while consciousness is depressed raises the risk of aspiration. Risk rises with alcohol strength and the amount swallowed relative to the pet’s size.
Added ingredients can change the urgency and treatment needed. A cocktail name is not a substitute for the full recipe.

Already eaten — what now?

Wine labelled 0.0%For dogs and cats: With restrictions

Only a product clearly labelled 0.0% with a known full ingredient list.

For dogs and cats

Conditions and restrictions

Do not offer it deliberately. The yellow rating applies only to a product clearly labelled 0.0% with a known ingredient list. “Non-alcoholic” without an actual percentage does not confirm that ethanol is absent.

Benefits

Even wine labelled 0.0% gives a pet no useful reason to drink it.

Risks

Acids, sugar and other additions may upset digestion.
Some products described as non-alcoholic contain residual ethanol. Labelling differs by country, so the actual percentage on the bottle matters.

Already eaten — what now?

Check for a 0.0% label and read the full ingredient list. After one small accidental sip of that product, a pet with no symptoms can usually be observed with water available. Call the clinic if the percentage is missing, more was swallowed, hazardous ingredients are present, or vomiting, weakness or poor coordination develops.

Conditions and risks

For dogs and cats

Conditions and restrictions

Do not offer red, white, rosé, sparkling or fortified wine. The main rating covers drinks that contain ethanol; read the label for alcohol strength and the full ingredient list.

Benefits

Wine has no benefit for dogs or cats. Do not offer it as a drink, treat or way to “calm” a pet.

Risks

Ethanol is absorbed quickly. Vomiting, drooling, poor coordination, disorientation, marked drowsiness and weakness may follow.
Severe poisoning can lower body temperature and blood glucose and may cause metabolic acidosis, tremors, seizures, coma and respiratory depression.
Vomiting while consciousness is depressed raises the risk of aspiration. Risk rises with alcohol strength and the amount swallowed relative to the pet’s size.

This card covers finished wine as a drink. Fresh grapes, raisins and grape juice are assessed separately in our grape card. Wine receives a red rating because of ethanol, not because grape risk has been carried over automatically.

Sources

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