Can Dogs Eat Garlic?
No. Garlic is considered toxic to dogs. While it may be unlikely to kill your dog in small doses, it can lead to severe gastrointestinal upset and destruction of red blood cells, which, in turn, can cause anemia. If you believe your dog has ingested garlic, consult your veterinarian immediately or call the animal poison control hotline. Always carefully review nutrition labels for toxic ingredients before offering any human food to your pet.
Garlic smells wonderful when you cook it, and it can be a flavorful addition to almost any savory dish. If you have a dog who is generally curious about human food, you might have thought to yourself, “Can dogs have garlic?” Unfortunately, garlic and dogs are a dangerous combination that should never be put together.
What are the health risks of garlic for dogs?
Dogs metabolize food differently than humans. Just because something is edible for humans does not mean that it’s edible for dogs.
Garlic is a member of the allium family, which also includes onions, leeks, shallots and chives. All these plants contain thiosulfate, which is difficult for some humans to digest but can be especially toxic to dogs, even in small quantities.
For dogs, thiosulfate can damage red blood cells and eventually result in anemia. Symptoms of anemia include rapid breathing, increased heart rate, lethargy, weakness, jaundice, pale mucous membranes and dark-colored urine. Garlic toxicity can also cause severe gastrointestinal upset, including vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, depression and dehydration.
Never feed garlic to your dog under any circumstances.
Recommended Articles
Take a look at other articles in this series, including: