Garlic for Dogs: Home Remedies and Safety Issues

garlic is in the onion family and onions are toxic to dogs. they can cause hemolytic anemia (basically kills red blood cells). my dog had hemolytic anemia and it is no joke! a blood tranfusion and thousands of dollars in vet bills to get her better. she is a shih-tzu mix and I have heard shih-tzus are especially predisposed to h.a.

folks- i have BRed and raised collies and shelties.as you may know heart gard is deathly dangerous to all collie type dogs.a few years ago i finally became a pure natural person and hence my dog cash is also.

if you wish to use garlic - i do - you can substitute garlic spray which you can get in stores and the internet.what you do is spray his food an his water bowl.3 squirts.my dog loves it - theres no gas. of course all dogs like people are different.i will try the other above recipes as well.

the garlic spray can also be used to spray outside areas to kill fleas . its alot safer that pesticides.

also for fleas instead of using all these shampoos- mix in lemon juice. fleas hate citrus.its a curative and preventative item.

so many vets have showed me they care very little for your pets health. they go right for the meds and their own special dog companies from food - etc to make their profits.they know nothing of organic and natural remedies. they cant make the money on that.

My 1 yo Carolina Dog / American Dingo (Cooter) has been scratching almost since I got him at 7 1/2 weeks. I didn't notice the scratching until after I used a rx flea med on him. I have tried everything for the itching! he was diagnosed with demoditic mites and was treated and follow up was negative for them. but he's still scratching, and biting himself. I would love to quit the rx flea/worm meds and start him on garlic, BUT I almost lost my last dog to heartworms ( which are really bad here in east TN). Is the garlic also a preventivive for heartworms?( I know they r caused by mosquitos which are really bad here too) I have already switched him to a commercial grain-free dry food, tea tree oil & sulfa shampoos, leave in conditioner, ointments, a round each of antibiotics & steroids, human allergy med -which only made him sleepy- not necessarily in that order! And still he scratches & bites himself all over! he weighs about 35 lbs, how much garlic & how often, raw/fresh or dried? Any other ideas????Help!He's driving himself & my family crazy!

I heard of this remedy that It would get rid of worms and fleas, and prevent them. I have a 8th month old German Shepherd and recently I found worms In his bowel movemont. I gave him about 2oz of garlic juice with his dog food. He had no problem eating It to my suprise. It's been about a day since and I'll give him more for about two days. Hopefully It will get rid of his worms. Any suggestions?

Garlic Feeding Method: For the person asking how to administer garlic to her pet: my former wife found that unpleasant-tasting medications can be disguised in peanut butter. She wrapped the heart worm prevention capsule in peanut butter (this works great, assuming someone out there knows something I am not aware of relative to peanut butter and pets). Also, a woman I talked to recently says she feeds garlic pills to her three dogs once a month (she buys these pills at her nearby 99-cent store in 30-tablet bottles; however, I don't know the strength of these pills). Perhaps someone out there can tell us about how much and in what form?

I have read on some of the veterinary sites on the internet that things like garlic and onions can actually kill a dog. The explanation is that dogs cannot deal with some of the chemicals in these and these chemicals will combine with the dogs red blood cells preventing them from carrying oxygen. I think they have the same problem with the oxalic acid in chocolate.

You might want to research this carefully before you give your dog garlic.

I have a question. I have a 50 lb Shepard mutt and a 25 lb Corgi. How much fresh garlic should I be giving them to keep them worm-free? Do I do it every day or a few days each month? What is the recommendation here?

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."

Carlos, thank you for writing your entry. I have heard about the benefits of garlic but have also heard that it is bad for them. I was not sure which one to believe. Now that I read your entry I have made up my mind. I WILL NOT FEED GARLIC to my dogs. If there is even a slight unknown chance that it could harm my dogs, I will not do it. Thank you

Just an update. I give my dog (probably weighs at least 90 lbs) one 1500 mg garlic oil capsule 2 x's a day in her food. Her ears don't seem to bother her as much, but not completly cleared up (she won't let anyone touch them to clean them.) The one thing that I HAVE noticed, is that when she burps in my face!!, it no longer gags me with the sewer gas smell. Now it kind of smells like mild salami. LOL

I must add that she likes to eat things....rocks, socks, paper towels, a whole straight popsicle stick, a thumbtack, coins...you get the picture....so I'm sure she had bacteria growing in her that I beleive the garlic has taken care of.

I have also added 2 1000 mg of fish oil capsules 2 x's a day. No more chewing raw spots on her back near her tail, and she has slimmed down, and her coat is shinier.

I have been giving my dog one 1500 mg garlic oil capsule a day for over a month in hopes of curing her smelly/itchy ear problem. I have given her garlic in the past, so I already knew this would not hurt her. It hasn't seemed to help so far, but I can attest to the fact that GARLIC DOES NOT HURT DOGS.

my gran used to breed dogs for crufts many years ago, she told me she never brought flea or worm products but used cloves of garlic chopped up and put with the dog food once a month,i was dubious about this old wives tale, but there is always an element of truth in the old tales, ive tried garlic on my four dogs, ages ranging fom 16 down to 5 months, they are all healthy, havent seen no fleas or worms, im a believer.

i have use garlic on my dog for years and they have no fleas and very heathly.and havent had to treat my home for fleas in years and i bath them in tea tree shampoo that adds to help flealess in tenn....just a speakle of garlic powder on their food each day

Recent research sets the LD50 (lethal dose at which 50% of subjects die) of garlic in dogs at approximately 5 grams per Kg.

So the dog who got sick from eating a whole bulb of garlic may have gotten a dangerous amount if the bulb was 50 grams like the ones I buy and the dog was 10 kg or so (22 lbs). Smart per owners will keep all medicines, natural or not, in a safe storage.

That being said, much valid research seems to indicate nothing but good effects from a clove of garlic a day for dogs (use Google Scholar to search for and see all the papers on the web). For tiny dogs a tiny piece is likely all that is needed.

My Thai Dog puppy loves garlic, but as he only weighs 12 Kg at 5 months old, one clove a day is all he gets. The vet says he looks great and tests show no intestinal worms.

Did you actually say "The garlic also makes the blood of your pet taste and smell very foul."? Can you tell us how you know the BLOOD of your pet TASTE foul? LOL!! I am hoping you mean taste foul to the worms.

Another solution for fleas is brewers yeast tablets. I buy the human kind and some dogs even like the taste of it.If they wont just eat the brewers yeast pill you can crush it up and put in their food. Fleas hate brewers yeast.

You just gave me the perfect way to feed garlic to my dog. He loves rice so I know he'll eat it. I've been researching on the internet. We always have trouble with fleas during the summer here. I can give him a pill...or I can put stuff on his back. Last time i put the stuff on his back I noticed that within thirty minutes his skin had turned bright red. This really worried me and since then I've been considering how to get rid of fleas without putting poison on my dog. I oiled him with a tea tree oil otc mixture (not pure tt oil, but diluted) this evening and will give him this as well. He has a recurring worm problem because of the fleas so we'll see if this helps him at all. Thanks for the tip.

B

I have 4 cocker spaniels. Anyone who has had cockers knows they have ear problems. Also they are prone to skin conditions. I had 2 previous cockers one that skin condition so bad at 8 years old.........she got so sick and died. The other I spent a fortune on medications again and lived to 7. I bought a very healthy male and female at 6 weeks old. Waited to make sure they had no skin or health problems. Of course they were on otomax every other month That's the ear thing. We breed them and had a litter of pups. We kept 2 of them. One of them has severe ear and skin problems. All of a sudden the Mom started the skin problem. Again vet bills on medications. I have changed food so many times figuring allergy. I finally went to a no-grain dog food. The ears and skin cleared up , but it kept reacurring every couple months. I finally did 2 days of searching on the internet. They are still on the no grain dog food........but, I am adding a teaspoon of chopped garlic packed in water to their dinner meal. Also a few squirts of flaxseed oil, and a little powdered Acidophilis. We keep treating a condition and not getting to the root!!! After 4 days.and a bath 2x a week with Selsum blue shampoo. my baby that has had problems all her life (3 years) does not scratch any more. great skin and coat. and no more bad ears!!!! The other three have had same diet and they are amazingly more happy and active. They don't scratch anymore either!!! I know it's the garlic!!! It is the best natural medication there is!!!! They all weight about 20 pounds each..........and for 3 weeks now.no side effects except i can sleep with out my bed shaking from dogs scratching , licking feet and shaking their heads!

I was trimming my Bassett Hound's dewclaws and noticed under his tail, was some worms with "melon seed like pods". I immediately got him a "loaded" hot dog, loaded with 2 garlic capsules. I gave this to my other dog as well. I am not sure what type of parasite he has but he is not longer whining constantly, rubbing his backside on the ground, and the area beneath his tail no longer looks like an expressway. He was very happy and "bouncy" this morning even though he is at least 12 yeaars old. I dispensed another round of "loaded" hot dogs this morning and will repeat on a daily basis. I have 4 horses and give them garlic daily in their grain and their fecal tests come back negative on a 6 month basis. Garlic is a God send!!!

We make the garlic for the dogs part of the stuffing that we use for their tire biters and kongs. It's a mix of pumpkin, squash, plain yogurt, and sometimes peanutbutter (sounds appetizing, doesn't it?). My little guy caught on, so we mixed it with some wet food cat food and he's none the wiser. You could probably do that for your cats too. If you need to get rid of worms again, try using diatamcious earth.

I had been having trouble with ticks on my cocker spaniel. We started giving her one garlic pill everyday and we have not had any more tick issues. The only way she will take it is if I hide the pill in a small piece of banana. If the banana is too firm, she will break it and spit out the pill. So be sure it is a ripened banana.

I have 9 dogs. 6 of them weight over 50lbs and the other 3 are 2 min. Yorkies and one min. Dachshund. I've been having a flea problem for a year now. I spent fortunes on all kinds of flea prevention and tried almost EVERYTHING there is. It got better but the fleas are still there. 2 days ago I started giving them garlic pills. 1 for each of the large dogs and 1/2 for the small ones. I also have 5 cats and give them 1/2 each. But it is a fight and hassle to make them eat the pills. After reading this blog, it seems to me that fresh garlic is better than the pills, but I can't just throw in their food 'cause they won't eat it. Does anyone know a dog-treat I could make and put the garlic in there so they will eat it? My cats already had tapeworms because of the fleas. I got rid of those but since the fleas are still there it will only be a matter of time until they get the worms again. I would really appreciate any suggestion on how I can give my cats and dogs the garlic.

This link no longer works...perhaps they got the message and removed the page!

I have been feeding my dogs garlic for years. I just put it on top of the food in the diced form or cook it with meat. I always cook meat for them even though raw is supposedly better. I have also always used tumeric too to prevent inflammation, adding herbs last to the cooking process. I am still really fighting parasites. I think I have more of a problem than my dog. I bathe my dog pretty frequently but plan to bathe him more. I will also try cloves and cayenne. My chiropractor told me to drink cider vinegar water daily. I also was curious about the chewing tobacco deal. Thanks for this site. It is very informative.

It should be said, that garlic and onion is poisonous to dogs, and in some breeds, can build up in their system and cause SEVERE form of anaemia - it sounds rather macabre, but the red blood cells begin to BURST! A breeder that I know said that a local vet asked them to bring one of their strong dogs in to "donate blood" for a dog who desperately needed a blood transfusion for long-term intake of garlic. The dog was suffering from severe anaemia. I'm surprised that some brands of dog food contain garlic also. It may ward off fleas, but I certainly would not risk it with my dogs. A safer and natural flea remedy is Eucalyptus oil or Tea Tree Oil added to their shampoo.