Garlic for Article by Lisa S. Newman, Nd

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2 star (1) 
  13%
1 star (2) 
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(1) 
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Arlene (Florida) on 12/08/2022:
2 out of 5 stars

I just want to throw in my two cents about garlic. I have always had German Shepherds. Back in 2007 I had a GS pup and had him on a heartworm pill. Each time I gave him the pill, he would vomit and over several months I saw him and sicker and sicker. Ok enough of these pills so thru my neighbor who was a Ft Lauderdale K9 officer, he told me about a company in Maryland that sells garlic tabs. I don't want to say their name but they do have a following. Anyway I put the dog on the garlic tabs. He had no fleas or ticks or heartworms and of course the vets were not enthusiastic about this. He lived to almost 15 yrs old and died from old age. Circumstances drastically changed in my life and I left Ft Lauderdale and relocated to a semi rural area. Lots of wooded acreage.

In February of this year I got another GS pup and of course I continued with the garlic tabs. Recently I saw him scratching a lot and I thought perhaps I should change his food and he does like to play in the dirt. I brush him everyday. I couldn't see any fleas so I didn't think much about it. The last few days he didn't seem right so yesterday I took him to the vet. Imagine my horror when vet said he has a major flea infestation and ticks and I was unable to see them because his coat is so thick. We had to wait a few minutes for the heartworm test and all I could think was he has heartworms if he has fleas and ticks. The garlic failed me. I was faithfully giving it to him everyday and extra because of the mosquito population in this area. Thank God he did not have heartworms. The vet shaved some of his fur off and placed it on a paper towel where I saw all these fleas and flea poop. OMG!

I had no choice but to put him on these heartworm pills. The treatment for heartworm is incredibly expensive and what the poor dog has to go thru is horrible and they might not survive. I read an article on Dr Mercola site that where garlic fails is that heartworm is in the blood not the digestive tract. In closing, garlic failed.

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Elle (Nc) on 04/21/2018:
5 out of 5 stars

I had a small terrier for 17 years and sprinkled garlic on his food resulting in no fleas or tics. Same with the lab I had for 15 years.

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Diamond (Ma.) on 07/21/2015:
5 out of 5 stars

Debby/Ca. Again I am sorry for past comment and hope to retract the statement on and about giving my dogs garlic where I later found it is in fact poison to our pets.I have in the past found that probiotics are by far better for dogs only in very small moderations where it has helped my pets, I now still have the same dog that is very close to a 100 yrs.old, she is blind, an going deaf, she still gets around an loves to play. But needless to say garlic salt is poison to people what do you think it does to animals? I have watched animals live out in the wild for years, and this is what they do in order to eat & survive, they pick rubbish barrels and sniff the food, if it cannot be eaten by humans neither will an animal eat it. I said this to say, we as humans need to be more aware of what we DO give our pets." When in doubt(?) Do nothing....http://www.petguide.com/health/dog/the-shocking-truth-about-dogs-and-garlic/

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Garlicisnotsafe (Springvale, Me) on 09/23/2011:
1 out of 5 stars

I trust the AVMA more and they clearly state that foods containing garlic should not be fed to dogs! Stop telling people it's safe! See for yourself, the research has been done! Some people have had their dogs die because of garlic! This is so irresponsible on your part!

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/ajvr.2000.61.1446

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Tshona (Scottsdale, Az) on 08/25/2011:
0 out of 5 stars

Garlic IS deadly for dogs. My poor sheltie just died a few days ago from eating 3.5 ounces of dried garlic he got into. He was totally healthy and fine before that. He was throwing up, became lathargic and with 8 hours was DEAD. I wish I would have know it is toxic to dogs, I would have taken him to the vet and they could have used charcoal on him, blood transfusion to replace the bursting blood cells and/or oxygen treatment. It causes a certain type of anemia and eventually kidney failure.

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Linda (Citrus Springs, Florida, U.s.a.) on 03/19/2011:
1 out of 5 stars

Warning

Just wanted to mention here... on using that diatomaceous earth, make sure its food grade! The other one is very dangerous to use around our animals. Linda

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Jeannie (Dalton, Georgia) on 12/20/2010:
0 out of 5 stars

Last night my pup she weighs 3 pounds got on the table and ate a huge bulb of garlic. She had stomachache (gas) and had some really bad breath, that was 10 hours ago and shes ok. But it scared me to death. All my life I have herd garlic was good to rid your pet of pests now its poison. I looked on line called my vet and no one would tell me what to do for my pet. She still has a tummy ache but shes playing so I believe shes gonna be ok.

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Ladybee (Oklahoma Ciy, OK) on 06/28/2007:
5 out of 5 stars

Garlic, the Facts, by Lisa S. Newman, ND, Ph.D.

"When it comes to your pet's health, do you want to follow facts or fears? Unfortunately, garlic has come under attack. This is primarily as a result of garlic's close cousin onion's reputation for triggering hemolytic or "Heinz factor" anemia (where circulating red blood cells burst) through its high concentration of thiosulphate. With onions, a single generous serving can cause this reaction. Garlic simply DOES NOT CONTAIN THE SAME CONCENTRATION of this compound! In fact, it is barely traceable and readily excreted (not stored in the body).

Despite this fact, garlic is falling victim to mass hysteria spread through the internet. Yes, there are 51,174 sites devoted to warning about the "toxicity" of garlic, this hysteria has even prompted the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center to place a warning on garlic although there is little scientific data to back this claim other than the fact that thiosulphate is also found in garlic. Yet, there are also over 400,000 sites still proclaiming its benefits, many of them from reputable holistic veterinarians who have widely used garlic in their practice for many years! How can an herb suddenly turn so bad?!

There is no doubt that onion, due to its concentration of thiosulphate, will cause Heinz factor anemia. In addition, as stated by Wendy Wallner, DVM, "Onions are only one of the substances which can cause Heinz body anemia. Other substances such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and benzocaine-containing topical preparations can also cause Heinz body anemia in the dog." The latter probably accounts for many cases as it is prevalent in creams often recommended for allergy-suffering pets due to its ability to numb the itch. It is absorbed through the skin and builds up in the blood stream. This other substance is likely to have been involved in cases where garlic was suspect.

For centuries, as long as humans have been using herbs, garlic has been a primary remedy turned to in a majority of cases. For as long as people have been using garlic, they have also been feeding it to their animal companions. Its properties have proven far reaching, easy on the body and safe to use. In the past fifty years, during the rebirth of holistic medicine in the United States, garlic has been in the forefront. Every text that I have researched on herbal health which mentions pet care has recommended it, especially for its incredible anti-parasitic and anti-septic properties. In my own experience, garlic has also benefited pets with cancer, diabetes, liver, heart and kidney disease, uncontrollable staph infections and a host of other conditions, as well as been a staple in my recommended preventative protocols. It has been widely used by hundreds of thousands of pet owners with no reported negative side-effects - except its effect on their animal's breath - until now. This is the point; garlic has suddenly become a "suspect," not proven the culprit. Do not let mass hysteria determine a holistic care program for your dog or cat. Follow hundreds of years of "proven use" rather than recent "suspicions" in regards to this miracle herb, as garlic is known to be. As with anything, do use garlic in reasonable doses, and do know that you can trust history over hysteria.

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Since 1982, Dr. Newman has been a world renowned pioneer in the field of natural pet care. The author of nine books."

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