Replied By Leeola23 (Owosso, Michigan, USA) on 08/18/2009
Large quantities of Garlic can be harmful to you pet, but in MODERATION they should be fine. Owners should responsible enough to keep their pet's treats or anything that could be poisonous out of reach. It's just like any other thing in this world- EG; calcium is good for us, but too much can lead to calcium deposits on our bones. Too much of anything can be harmful. Garlic can be beneficial to a dog.How come so many people believe garlic is bad for dogs? -Outside of the fact that they are related to the onion which is harmful to pets. Anywhere else online you say that you give your dog garlic and give you death threats. What's with all the misinformed people?
Replied By Jocelyn (London, UK) on 08/18/2009
Many false posts on the internet about the supposed deadly side effects of garlic for dogs. It seems quite obvious to me that the companies that sell the flea medication formulas started the rumors. As always, the internet feeds false information like an insipid virus when it is copied from one web site to another without any real research done on the subject. Hopefully websites like this one prove that garlic in moderation is safe for dogs AND a great healing tool. I have used garlic for many years on my canines and none of them have ever experienced any (and I mean ANY) side effects.Replied By Allison (Dallas, Tx) on 06/13/2010
I agree about the companies that sell the flea meds spreading the rumors .If anyone that reads this would do me (and future pets and their owners) a favor and spread this news like a disease! Due to being unemployed at the moment and the fleas in Texas already out of control even after 3 good winter freezes I resorted to an "over the counter spot on" flea treatment for my 2 dogs. I won't mention brand partly because you can't on this site but mainly because THEY ARE ALL BAD! 1 day after applying this treatment to both my 8 lb chihuahua and my 100 lb Akita the Akita started acting lethargic.Within 3 hrs of me noticing her acting a little funny I could not get her to stand, eat, drink and she seemed to be drifting out of consciousness. I knew I needed to get her to the vet but I couldn't lift her and I live alone. It was 5:00 a.m. and I couldn't find anyone awake. Called the local fire station they refused to help. Finally an hour later my boyfriend woke up and I rousted my neighbor.They had to carry my baby out on a blanket.When we arrived at the emergency vet they immediately put her on oxygen and fluids. When I told them her symptoms they asked if I had applied any over the counter flea meds to her. I hadn't even thought of that being the problem. I was horrified! Within minutes I was told there was little hope that she would live. I was hysterical but pulled myself together enough to go lie with her on the floor of the E.R. and hug her and apologize to her for forcing her to sit still as I applied the stuff that would kill her. I held her as they put her to sleep. I hugged her until her heart stopped beating. I weep as I'm writing this as it happened just a week ago.She was a 3 yr old beautiful, sweet, smart, strong and loyal 100 lb Akita .I nursed her through Parvo at 8 weeks old. She was a fighter and this poison in a tube being sold everywhere snuffed out her life too soon. Tell everyone you know this stuff is HORRIBLE! I am so lucky it didn't kill my other dog. When I returned from the vet I washed him like 4 times much to his dismay. Needless to say I am on the hunt for flea treatments that work without risking your dogs health.I am terrified to use anything now. Thanks in advance for taking time to read this. AllisonReplied By Susan (Montesano, Wa. Usa) on 08/07/2011
I have 2 one year old Shih-Tzus. They both have the Shih-Tzu skin problems. I used to like giving garlic to the dogs but was told it was bad for them. Now I am totally confused. How do you give the dogs garlic without them spitting it out?? I mixed garlic powder in their rice while I cook it. I have seen garlic pills. Can they have those?? They are in the vitamin isle at the store. How do you decide how much they can have. Both of my boys are around 11 pounds. My poor bebies are going nuts with them on them. We have used bathes, Bio-Spot (which was useless) Baking soda bathes and now we are seeing them run and hide even if we go to the bathroom for our own use. If garlic is safe then I want to use that. They are our babies and we hate seeing them so agitated. What amount is good? Why not powder?? Isn't that just dried garlic?? The capsules?? How much is good for them? Thanks.Replied By Vikas (Bangalore, India) on 08/09/2011
After reading all the comments I got confused weather to feed my fod garlic or not. So I decide to call my VET and he told me that I can feed him 2-3 cloves in his food daily. Its not at all harmful to dogs.Replied By Anthony (Gainesville, Florida) on 08/10/2011
The same japanese scientists who learned that "garlic" damages canine blood cells also claim it is positive for cardiac and immune health.
What damages cells is not thiosulphate but a disulfide that is part of thiosulphate.
The missing enzyme in dogs is g6pd and it neutralizes the disulfide.
Guess what - about 1 in 12 humans have the same problem (me for one). Garlic does the same to us as it does to dogs. In my case it causes me to feel crappy if I eat too much. G6pd deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies among humans.
Dogs have no g6pd so disulfide damages the blood cells and they are eliminated by the spleen. The bone marrow replaces these cells. If you feed the dog too much disulfide and it injures more blood cells than the bone marrow can replace, anemia results.
This disulfide by-product of thiosulphate is an "oxidant" and "anti-oxidants" will neutralize them just like g6pd does. Stuff like vitamin E are anti-oxidants so if you include them in the dog diet they should prevent harm from disulfide.
Just so you know I only use the word "vet" because it is easier to say than "unlicensed taxidermist" - which in my opinion is what most vets are.
Further I am not a scientist - I learned this stuff just researching on the net.
You should do the same.
So I think the best thing is to make sure the dog gets anti-oxidants (either in food or a supplement) and start out with VERY SMALL doses of garlic. Increase it little by little and see if the dog tolerates it okay. If the dog shows any signs of trouble with a small dose STOP.
It takes a few days for disulfide to damage blood cells, so unless the dog has some kind of other problem it shouldn't harm them right away - like stories I've heard of a dog eating some garlic and getting sick an hour later.
Like I said I have a g6pd deficiency - I don't like raw or cooked onion because they POISON me - but my mother MADE me eat onion when I was a kid. If your dog doesn't like garlic BE CAREFUL. Onion tasted vile to me when I was kid so if garlic repels your dog be careful.
One of my dogs had a hemorrhage and his tongue turned white before he died - you can tell if a dog is anemic by checking the color of the tongue.
Don't take my (or anyone else's) word for it - do your own research.
