The Doggy Bloggy

Garlic has been much-maligned lately as a toxin to dogs. In fact, this Examiner maligned garlic just a few weeks ago in a list of common household pet poisons.

Then Debbie M left a comment on my page that got me wondering how reliable my information was. Debbie asked, “if garlic is toxic to dogs then why are there garlic products on the market to either control bug bites or aid in digestion?”

Ah. Excellent question. I remember a popular doggy supplement from a few years back that was supposed to prevent fleas and mosquito bites – the main ingredients were yeast and garlic.

So I did a little more sniffing around (get it? sniffing? garlic?) and found a very interesting article by a very reputable doctor, Lisa Newman, world renowned pioneer in the field of natural pet care and author of nine books. According to Doc Lisa, garlic is getting a bum rap because of its relatives. Specifically, garlic’s cousin, the onion. Both onions and garlic contain thiosulphate, a compound known to trigger Heinz factor anemia (where circulating red blood cells burst – very bad). The thing is, onions have a MUCH higher concentration of thiosulphate than garlic. With onions, the thiosulphate level is so high that a single serving can cause this fatal reaction. Garlic’s thiosulphate level is barely traceable and isn’t stored in the body so it doesn’t build up.

Newman tells us the current clamor of garlic-bashing is just mass hysteria and the 51,174 sites on the internet that are freaking out about garlic being toxic are way off base. She is backed up by more than 400,000 sites proclaiming garlic’s benefits – most of which are from reputable vets.

“For centuries, humans have been using garlic for themselves and administering it to their animal companions as well. Garlic is known for its incredible anti-parasitic and anti-septic properties. It has been used by hundreds of thousands of pet owners with no reported negative side-effects, except its effect on the pet’s breath.” Newman explains. And indeed, when we look at the list of poisoning incidents most commonly treated by vets (a list compiled by pet health insurance companies), garlic is nowhere to be seen.

Wendy Wallner, DVM, says, “Onions are only one of the substances which can cause Heinz factor anemia. Others such as Tylenol and benzocaine topical ointments can also cause it.” The latter is often used on allergy-suffering pets because it numbs the itching. But it is absorbed into the bloodstream and then stays there, building up to dangerous levels. Many cases of Heinz factor anemia that were blamed on garlic were more likely caused by these other products.

So, according to science, garlic is okay and can even be beneficial to dogs in proper doses. But onions, Tylenol and benzocaine ointments are a no-no.

For the original article written by Dr. Lisa Newman, see Garlic, The Facts.

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