has anyone  mixed matcha green tea  in their dogs  drinking water ,  good or bad to do? i have a shizu

I’m not a vet so had to rely on the Internet for info.  Hopefully Dr. Becker will have an opportunity to answer your question.  J

I really couldn’t find much online but from what I did find I think it would probably be fine, and beneficial, if given in small amounts between meals.  There is some concern about tannins and protein digestion (in people) so watch your pup closely for a day or two to observe any possible problems.  Last link says to add lemon to offset the effects tannins have on iron absorption J

Catechins are flavonoid phytochemical compounds that appear predominantly in green tea.  http://www.google.com/search?q=catechins&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADBF_en

In the following research paper they discuss how green tea catechins help control gingivitis in the felines (they mention a study on canines as well).  I could not copy passages from the paper.

http://jarvm.com/articles/Vol6Iss2/Vol6Iss2Isogai82-86.pdf

Green tea has about half the caffeine as coffee - per the following link the caffeine in Matcha is not an issue though as the tea is whole not steeped - “In fact, the tannins in green tea offset the effects of its caffeine.”  http://www.google.com/search?q=tannins+offset+caffeine&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADBF_en

“Do the Tannins in Green Tea Have Negative Effects? One of the biggest problems associated with the tannins in green tea is their effect on iron absorption. Tannins form a complex with iron in the intestinal tract making it less readily absorbed and used by the body. For this reason, it’s recommended that green tea not be drank with meals to avoid interfering with iron absorption. Adding lemon to green tea can offset some of the effects of tannins on iron absorption. The tannins in green tea can also cause nausea and mild digestive upset in susceptible individuals. Tannins slow down protein digestion although large quantities would be needed for this to be a problem”  http://healthmad.com/nutrition/green-tea-tannins-are-they-healthy/

I offer naturally decaffed green tea to everything....my birds, toads, cat, dogs....but (why is there always a but!!!):

here are the rules for tea and pets:

1. never in place of water...in addition to. If they want to partake, they will.

2. always decaf. If it doesn't say it's decaffed then don't feed it.

3. at room temp., or lukewarm. Don't burn their precious mouths.

4. my favorite type of tea is just plain tea: you can pick the type (peppermint for upset stomachs, chamomile for stressed animals, Essiac for cancer patients, etc.) but do it the old fashioned way....brew and steep it.

5. use purifed water.

I have an interesting story about tea and pets. The oldest dimestore parakeet I've ever met visited me several years ago. An elderly woman brought him in in a circular (bad cage shape for birds...they want to be able to 'watch their back' and they can't in a circular cage), rusty (highly toxic...birds use their beaks as another hand and rust will kill them pretty quickly) cage with one dowel perch (not recommended because bird feet need exercise to prevent bumble foot, they need a variety of different sized perches and they need to be able to choose where they want to sit). In a nutshell: she was doing everything wrong. Feeding an entirely seed based (bad) diet.

The woman told me parakeet was 26. I didn't believe her, thinking she didn't hear my question quite right. Then she produced a recipe from Woolworth's and, indeed, the parakeet was 26. None of this made any sense to me at all.  "Do you give your bird anything else besides seed from Walmart??" I asked her, trying to figure out the mystery. "No, but he drinks a teaspoon of decaf green tea with me every morning...is that o.k.?" she asked.

Umm....yea.....I told her....please continue doing that: it's the only reason your baby is probably alive right now :).