Decidir Sharing our home with a dog supposes for us the responsibility of guaranteeing a complete state of well-being, which includes multiple cares, some of the most important is to ensure proper socialization, enough company and affection, and optimal nutrition.
The dog's diet is of great importance, as it directly interferes with its he alth. In fact, improper nutrition acts as a trigger for multiple diseases. Many owners decide to also provide homemade food to their pet as a supplement to the feed and, therefore, they are informed about what foods can be toxic, but it is also necessary know how to interpret this information.
In this article on our site we talk about the garlic and onion poisoning in dogs, two vegetables that do not have to give up to be present in our pet's diet.
The toxicity of garlic and onion
For many years and still today it is widely stated that garlic and onions are toxic to dogs, but it turns out that only in excessive amounts, since an adequate amount will have multiple he alth benefits for the dog.
This erroneously explained myth is due to the sulfur compounds of these two vegetables (thanks to which they have multiple medicinal properties), specifically one of these compounds (n-propyldisulfide) has been identified as a substance toxic to dogs. In high concentrations, this component destroys red blood cells and causes a type of hemolytic anemia in dogs.
Symptoms of garlic and onion poisoning in dogs
If your dog has consumed garlic and onion in inadequate amounts for several days or in an excessive amount for a shorter period of time, you should know that the symptoms of intoxication will not manifest immediately, but approximately 5 to 6 days later.
The symptoms of this intoxication in dogs will appear progressively and include the following:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Reddish urine
- Respiratory distress
- Lethargy
- Heart rate increased
If these signs appear it is important that we go to the vet as soon as possible.
Beneficial properties of garlic and onion
Garlic and onion have numerous medicinal properties among which we must highlight the following:
- They allow the body to purify itself by facilitating the elimination of waste substances.
- They have antibacterial and antiseptic activity.
- Improve blood circulation.
- Increase the immune response.
- Protect the cardiovascular system.
Contrary to what many people believe, these benefits are not only observed in the human body, since dogs can also see their he alth greatly enhanced thanks to the mechanism of action of these two superfoods.
Can I give my dog garlic and onion?
To answer this question, let me start with a practical situation. One day for lunch I decided to invite my dog and put some sautéed potatoes with egg and onion in her feeder. Then I remembered the most widespread myth in canine nutrition "the onion is toxic" and I entered a state of hysteria, in an incessant search for information I realized that I had used a medium onion to prepare approximately 3 dishes of food and that the toxic dose for my dog (a labrador retriever) was 3 medium onions…. I calmly breathed and observed how my pet continued to enjoy an optimal state of he alth.
If we are going to give a Yorkshire terrier a dish of homemade food cooked with onions, are we going to use a whole onion in an exclusive preparation for our dog? Probably not, and here's the key.
For a dog to be able (because it is not a certain fact) to become intoxicated with onions, it should consume 0.5% of its body weight in onions, and that is an excessive amount that has no place in a balanced diet for dogs.
If you want to give your dog foods that contain onions, you can give him 2 to 3 tablespoons of these without any problem. Also, are you going to give him food prepared with onion every day? Do not suffer from onion poisoning in dogs if you use this vegetable in a reasonable way.
As for garlic, our fear should be even less, since it contains less of the sulfur substances that can be toxic. Therefore, a dog can eat 1 to 2 cloves of garlic a day, depending on its weight, what's more, in this food we find the best home remedy for deworm them.
