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Recent Pet Posts

Garlic and Cats

Posted By Jean (Eureka Springs) on 07/18/2022

"I was following advise about ear mite/ear infection(since I don't know which one it is) remedies and opened a garlic oil softgel to put in his ear. (They are 1000 gm extract that you get from the dollar general store.) When I opened the softgel, HE WENT WILD for the smell, even though they are mostly odorless. He loved the smell of it so much that he wanted to lick it off my fingers, and I couldn't get it in his ears, he wanted to lick the oil so bad! (He lets me stick my fingers in his ears, so that's not a problem.) He did lick the oil off my fingers and himself, then ran through the house like a nutty kitten. This can't be normal for a cat to love garlic. I then let him lick avacado oil off my fingers, to see if it is garlic oil in particular he wants, or is he short on fats in general, which he also licked off.

QUESTION: how much is too much garlic OIL for a 10 lb cat who LOVES it better than cat treats? He gets supplements(like I do, ) cracked chlorella/ life extension's cat mix/ collagen/hyaluronic acid."

Posted By Leslie (Florence, AL) on 11/14/2024

"You should be aware that garlic is extremely toxic to cats."

Posted By Vera (Coloardo) on 11/14/2024

"There are some people saying garlic is toxic to cats, and even dogs, on the webs. Yet the famous herbalist Juliette de Bairacli Levy treated her pets with garlic, no problem. I followed her recipe for garlic enemas for puppy worms with complete success. Does anyone have *real evidence* that this is an issue?"

Posted By Art (California) on 11/14/2024

"Hi Vera,

There are quite a few articles on the web from known sources discussing how garlic and other members of the allium family such as onions is toxic to dogs and cats because of its thiosulfate content. On the other hand, thiosulfate is not toxic to humans. Some of you may remember thiosulfate as a remedy that Ted often used for humans. Here are a couple of example articles with this first one being from the American Kennel Club (AKC) :

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-garlic/

https://bottletreeanimalhospital.com/blog/what-should-i-do-if-my-dog-eats-garlic/

Here is a relevant quote from their article :

' Yes, garlic is potentially dangerous to dogs. This is because garlic and related plants such as onions are toxic to dogs. Garlic can cause anemia and signs of toxicity when eaten in high enough amounts. All forms of garlic are potentially toxic to dogs. These forms of garlic include ':

Raw garlic
Cooked garlic
Garlic powder
Garlic paste
Pickled garlic
Liquid garlic
Garlic oil
Any food with any type of garlic in it

https://www.petmd.com/cat/poisoning/can-cats-eat-garlic

A relevant article quote :

'Whether cooked or raw, garlic is toxic to cats, and your pet should never eat it in any form, including :

Garlic cloves
Jarred minced garlic
Garlic powders and salts
All homemade or prepackaged foods containing garlic (including baby foods and broths) '

' Garlic is a bulbous vegetable belonging to the genus Allium, which also includes onions, chives, and leeks. None of these should ever be included in your cat’s diet or treats. '

' Garlic contains a toxic compound called sodium n-propyl thiosulfate. This toxin causes damage to red blood cells, making them fragile and leading to their breakdown and destruction (hemolysis). Hemolysis results in anemia in addition to red or brown urine discoloration. Anemia means the body’s organs are no longer getting enough oxygen and, in severe cases, can result in organ failure and death. '

'Garlic poisoning can become life-threatening and should be treated as a medical emergency. If your cat ingests garlic, take them to the vet immediately. Do not wait until they are acting sick. '

Animals are a gift from the angelic realm that we can learn from, and they can not tell us when they are sick or in distress so it seems worthwhile for us to exercise as much caution as is possible in what we feed or give to them to eat.

Art

Posted By Vera (Colorado) on 11/14/2024

"Art, when I ask if there is real evidence that garlic harms pets, I am asking for actual cases of damage. I have a bad experience with "official sources." Sad, I know. But there it is. Has a cat ever died from eating garlic? Or from being fed garlic as a dewormer? (I have been intending to deworm the stray that recently adopted me.)

They say that thiosulfate harms red blood cells. Why would this damage only cat (or dog) red blood cells and not anyone else's? Baffled.

Posted By Vera (Colorado) on 11/15/2024

"A few more notes on garlic and thiosulfate. All the sources that I have seen do not explain the supposed toxicity to cats. AI does not report any cats harmed by it. There are people completely panicked and asking web vets for help, just because their cat "may have" chewed on a clove, or actually at one. The vets said that it would take 3-6 cloves to cause problems, and that the ingestion would need to be chronic. Also, the AI says that thiosulfate is not toxic, but used as a poison antidote. Unless I see more convincing info, I don't believe this to be an issue in practical terms. To urge cat owners to go to ER immediately upon ingesting a bit seems irresponsible.

Here is another answer from AI: "Based on the available research, thiosulfate appears to be generally well tolerated in cats. There is no evidence to suggest that thiosulfate has inherent toxicity to cats. In fact, thiosulfate is often used to treat cyanide poisoning in animals, including cats, as it helps convert cyanide into thiocyanate, reducing its toxic effects."