Spent hops can kill your dog...but what about stray cats?

I just finished doing my first mash hop and for the first time ever I dumped the spent grains outside. Usually I just dump them in the trash for later disposal but my wife is not a fan of the strong hop aroma. As I dumped the spent grains my first thought was those damn stray cats are going to love this! Then I remembered that spent hops can actually kill your dog. I don't know the validity of this statement but it's gotta make you wonder. Did i just solve my stray cat problem? Anybody know anything about this? It's not like I used a ton of hops so maybe it's just wishful thinking. All they do is terrorize my dogs and I swear one of those bastards pissed on my welcome mat.

We have a couple outside cats (live in the woods, so they help with mice) and haven't had any issues with them. I dump hop trub from my keggle in the corner of the woods, and never had them even go near it.

Maybe not what you want to hear, but I don't think they like hops to begin with.

Dogs will eat anything. Cats, not so much.

If a stray cat kills your dog, all I can say is post video.

Even if it does poison them: who gives a f*ck? They are stray cats!

broadbill said:

Even if it does poison them: who gives a f*ck? They are homeless people!

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Fixed that for you.

daksin said:

Fixed that for you.

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no, I'm pretty sure I meant to say stray cats. but thanks!

I'm not sure if this is the same since they are two different things but I'd imagine its similar to the problem with chocolate. It's deadly to both cats and dogs but cats don't have the taste receptors for it so they never bother with it. Dogs can taste it and love it so you have to be more careful with dogs around chocolate than cats. I'd bet cats wouldn't be interested in spent hops because they cant taste the sweet wort so its not interesting to them.

Edit: I have no clue what would happen if they actually ate them though. With out any proof otherwise I'd assume its deadly to them also.

Why are there hops in your grain?

My spent grain is loved by deer (not sure if cats would eat it, if anything they might think it's a litter box)

How about deer?
Id love to keep them out of my yard.

cheezydemon3 said:

Why are there hops in your grain?

My spent grain is loved by deer (not sure if cats would eat it, if anything they might think it's a litter box)

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https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/mash-hopping-4182/

The hops-and-dogs thing is kinda like a severe peanut allergy in humans, at least in terms of severity and rareness, if not the same underlying biological process -- most of 'em aren't affected at all, but if you're unlucky enough to have the rare intolerance, it's fatal. This is why we keep hops away from dogs -- not because they'll probably get sick, but, because, if they do get sick (which they probably won't), they'll almost certainly die.

So, if you're (un)lucky, you might find one stray cat/deer by your grain pile with his feet in the air, but given how quickly they breed, you probably won't have a big effect on the overall population.

There's a sticky about hop lethality in dogs, I believe there's no real proof that it affects the majority of dogs, but you know, there was this one case, cuz this guy I know, his plumber had a dog, or was it the electrician... anyway, he ate some hops and then keeled o'er the next day, yessir, he done keeled o'er.

I still wouldn't feed them to the dog... I don't want to clean up the vomit out of the corner of the closet the next day.


I think it's the same kind of thing as why MSG turned in to a forbidden flavor enhancer... a few people had isolated cases of reactions, so it turned in to standard practice to avoid it... although the majority of the population can consume it without any problem.

PhelanKA7 said:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/mash-hopping-4182/

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I get that for the once in a year brew, but is this really a common problem?

Our neighborhood skunks seem to enjoy the hops and grain combo-I put the spent grain and the spent hops onto the compost pile. I know the skunks love that stuff and I've only found one dead skunk out there in 20 years.
Our cats, the neighbors' cats and all the strays pretty much ignore the compost pile completely.

The pile of grains looks completely untouched. I know when I put a fresh open bag of hops to my dogs nose he turns in disgust. Maybe they just don't like the smell? What's funny is he will chow down on the most fresh and potent red onion and just love it. I only give him little bits of course but it sure gives him some stanky breath! It's supposedly good for fleas and ticks too??

If only!!

the_trout said:

How about deer?
Id love to keep them out of my yard.

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like this

cheezydemon3 said:

I get that for the once in a year brew, but is this really a common problem?

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Not for me. I've never tried it. I do FWH. I mean how much "softer" can the bitterness get? Pretty soon they'll have us putting hops in the strike water so it'll be so damn soft you could fashion a pillow for your tongue out of the bitterness. SO DAMN SOFT!

PhelanKA7 said:

Not for me. I've never tried it. I do FWH. I mean how much "softer" can the bitterness get? Pretty soon they'll have us putting hops in the strike water so it'll be so damn soft you could fashion a pillow for your tongue out of the bitterness. SO DAMN SOFT!

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Some people hell bent on spending too much money on a brew day will hop both their strike water and sparge water.

If you are going to kill something, make it a humain quick death, don't get it so sick it dies over days or weeks.

Brewsit said:

I think it's the same kind of thing as why MSG turned in to a forbidden flavor enhancer... a few people had isolated cases of reactions, so it turned in to standard practice to avoid it... although the majority of the population can consume it without any problem.

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Can and do. MSG is in a lot of processed stuff.