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Blog Entry 18 of 38 Ask the Dog Guy
The Dog Guy (me) answers questions about dog behavior/misbehavior.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~AsktheDogGuy

Garlic you say?
Contributed by: Dave Pearson   on 6/6/2008

Dear Dog Guy,

I am confused. Perhaps you can clarify. In your article you state that one should avoid giving garlic to dogs. I have heard just the opposite. In fact garlic is often listed as an ingredient in top end dog food and treats.
Can you clarify?

Confused.

Dear Confused,

Thanks for reading and keeping me on my toes. I was actually quoting the ASPCA's list of foods not to feed your dog and, sure enough, garlic is on the list. (However, so are grapes/raisins and I already mentioned how I have owned two dogs who literally grazed on grapes. Since I clean up their eliminations, I could always tell when the grapes were ripe and they were grazing by the seeds in their eliminations.)

Not to be one that just goes along to get along, I did some more research and found quite a bit of info on the net about Garlic and it's affect on dogs. In a nutshell, I'd say that just as in humans, moderation is a key. I once knew a guy in N. Montana who had working dogs and he gave them all a plug of tobacco every month. He said, and I had no reason at the time to disagree, that it kept them safe from rattlesnake bites (and worms and ticks). I don't see tobacco or tobacco products on the ASPCA list, but I doubt most folks would think of doing what this guy did. And, just for the record, I do NOT recommend it.

I am not a vet, nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, so I am not recommending anything. My best guess would be to not provide anything to your pooch that has the potential of causing harm.

I have included below the list of foods to avoid again and I included the statement from the ASPCA on how they staff and make their decisions at the Poison Control Center. (I will also repeat the animal poison hotline number 888-428-4435) It seems they have a lot of vets who had to agree with the inclusion of garlic. I know onions are an issue with dogs (and most will not eat them anyway, and since Garlic is a member of the Onion family, it stands to reason that it is also an issue.

"Food/Drugs

What are the most common food hazards I should be aware of?

Experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center urge you to avoid feeding the following foods to your pet:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol"

"Where does the APCC get its information about toxins and their effects on animals?

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is staffed by 30 veterinarians, including 13 who are board-certified in general and veterinary toxicology. In addition, our experts use Antox, our unique veterinary medical database system of more than one million animal exposure case histories. With the combined knowledge of our experts and our medical database, we are able to provide the most timely and accurate information on the potential effects of poisons and how to manage exposures to them."

Although the ASPCA is fairly definitive in their opinions, I, like you, had more questions, so I Googled and found some additional info at: http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/garlic_for_dogs.html. Some of the responses were:

02/05/2008: " Darren (darrenzak@shaw.ca) from Vancouver, Canada writes: "Hello, i almost lost my 10 year old Lab last week, all because he had been consuming garlic in his food. I was buying a very expensive dog food that I thought was providing the optimal nutrition and goodness for him. I didn't know that garlic could cause hemolytic anemia and other deadly problems.

I quickly learned, not from my vet, but because i am an RN with a developed intuition and' my gut had and was telling me that his condition had something to do with his food. I removed all forms of garlic form his diet and boom he has made a 180 recovery, thank god. I would encourage everyone to read what is in the bag of food that you are feeding your family/best friend. If you don't know if it is good for your dog do some research on the ingredient."

05/20/2008: " Rod from Fort Lauderdale, Florida writes: "My two dogs, a five year old and an eleven year old always have had garlic for repelling fleas and thicks, digestion and overall good health. The big pharmaceutical companies don't want people to know this, but do your research on the net. Garlic is great and cheap, but also uncommon sense tell us to be cautious with anything, allergies to just about anything can occur."

02/07/2008: Cheryl from Santa cruz, ca writes: "I read the suggestions about garlic for worms, and i used it on my dog and found no cure and no side effects. But, I was reading an old National Geographic magazine (Oct. 2007) and I came across a list of harmful food for dogs and one of them is garlic. It reads "Garlic breaks down a dog's red blood cells, leading to anemia and possible kidney failure from leaking hemoglobin". And for those of you who are curious.. the list reads on:
1.alcohol-depresses brain function and cause coma.

2.coffee- caffeine in a cup of coffee is a methylxanthine compound that can increase a dog's heart rate and trigger seizures.

3. macadamia nuts- just a couple can cause tremors, and even temporary paralysis in dog's hind legs

4.onions- damages is hemoglubin culmulative, so small tastes over time can be worse than wolfing down the whole bulb.

5. grapes (and that includes raisins)- can cause renal failure.
.. this probably isnt everthing so I hope you read up first before giving your pet something new."

08/02/2007: Anne from Chicago, Illinois writes: "This is in reply to a recent post about feeding dogs and cats garlic. Garlic and onions, both members of the allium family, are toxic to dogs and cats -- even if the garlic and onions are cooked. As yet it is not known what level is toxic. Please google to find the warnings and there are many.

And here is yet another vet opinion from the net:

"Onion and Garlic toxicity in dogs and cats

Question: Dr. Richard's,
Thank you for your help with past questions and creating this web site.
I have a question about onions and dogs. I read somewhere onions are
poisonous for dogs yet onions are often ingredients in dog treats. Is it just
raw onions that are so dangerous? What about meat that has been cooked with
onions is this dangerous?
What are some things that are toxic for dogs besides chocolate and onions?
Also I own several cats are there foods toxic to them as well?

Kim


Answer: Kim-

Dogs develop hemolytic anemia if they eat enough onions. I don't think that it matters too much whether the onions are cooked or not. The quantity of onions required is high enough that dogs can generally tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of onion without clinically apparent disease, even though there may be measurable changes on lab test results. Cats are probably a little more sensitive to onion toxicity than dogs are. I can't find an exact quantity of onions required to cause toxicity problems in dogs, but there are several case reports of onion toxicity and they involve whole onions or sizable portions of chopped onions (like a cup or more). I think that feeding dogs meat that has been cooked with onions is pretty safe but you might want to avoid giving them the broth from around something like pot-roast if there were a lot of onions used in the cooking, just to be safe.

Large amounts of garlic will produce similar toxicity problems in both dogs and cats. I think that the amount required is not likely to be eaten by a cat but there are probably a few dogs who would lap up a container of spilled garlic.

Among common foods, the only other significant toxicity that I can think of are recent reports of toxicity from eating grapes and raisins that have been reported in dogs.


Mike Richards, DVM
11/15/2001"

The Dog Guy




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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Dave Pearson

Arvada , CO

Dave Pearson has posted 38 blog entries and 0 comments since joining on 1/7/2008. Dave Pearson 's average blog rating is 5.
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