Like me over the years you have probably heard how some foods are labeled “toxic to pets”, my goal in this series is going to hopefully be to help you to see what conclusions my research has taught/shown me. I was asked by one of my subscribers to write about this topic, I had planned to eventually, but decided no time like the present. I also am hoping if you’re not sure about my conclusions, you will take the time & do some research yourself. I have 10 natural/holistic books I use, & research on websites I trust. I lean toward the holistic/natural side of treating my pets & myself, but am not against taking medicine if & when needed, but try first usually try what nature provides.
There are a number of items that are labeled “toxic” to pets. I will be writing about a number of these items over the next 6-8 weeks & sharing what my research has found. I will be honest, your traditional Veterinarian probably will not agree with some things I will be saying. I have spoken to a lot of Vets over my years in rescue & when I asked them, I was told that they only get about 6-8 hours of class on nutrition taught to them while in Veterinary College. Sadly it was usually taught by the manufacturers of the food you see in many traditional Vet offices. Some sell it because they were given incentives to sell it or are given kickbacks for selling it. If you read the ingredients of those foods & researched the ingredients (side effects) you would never feed that food to your pets. I say this to say, many Vets just don’t know & if they don’t take additional classes on nutrition taught by independent researchers how would they know. It is up to you to educate yourself.
This post is going to be about whether garlic is safe or not, I researched online & in my holistic books (written my a number of Veterinarians & experts). Online was where I found the negative stuff, sadly written by non pet companies or pet companies that I personally don’t agree with that said garlic is toxic. Their research doesn’t tell you it is only toxic if fed in very large amounts. A 75 lb dog would have to eat 4 whole heads or 60 gloves to show signs of toxicity. I don’t think any intelligent person would ever give a pet that much. Garlic does contain sulfur compounds that if given in large quantities it could damage the red blood cells, causing liver damage & anemia. Garlic should not be given to pets taking heat medicine, immune suppressants, chemo, blood thinners, blood pressure medication, or insulin therapy.
Garlic is in the Allium family (including onions) but contains a lot less thio-sulfate than onions. I have fed garlic to my dogs, but I do it in measured amounts with meals. I found some different opinions on the amount to feed. I found one that said 1/2-1 clove garlic for every 22 lbs(10kg) of body weight, 3-4 times per week. I found this harder to measure as gloves can vary in size, if you break off 4 gloves, chances are they will all vary in size. The one I prefer & follow is 1/8 tsp for 5 lbs of weight, 1/3 tsp for 10 lbs, 1/2 tsp for 15 lbs, 2/3 tsp for 20 lbs & 1 tsp for 30 lbs. add it into the pets meals.
Some of the benefits I found for feeding fresh raw garlic are: garlic supports the immune system & is useful in fighting bacteria, viral & fungal infections. May deter fleas, ticks & internal parasites, Can be antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, a cardio-vascular tonic. It may benefit diabetes by improving circulation, & increasing insulin half life. In small amounts it may have cleaned out worms dogs (all research still not sure of this).
Whenever trying something new with your pets monitor them for any change in stools, any itching or other reaction. Not a common allergy, but anything can cause an allergic reaction in any living being. Caution with Akitas & Shibu Inu breed dogs as anemia is common in these breeds. Some dogs may extrude the smell of garlic thru their skin, if this is offensive to you, you can chop up a little parsley & add it in the pets food when feeding the garlic.
Some of the experts who recommend garlic & talk about its benefits are:
- Martin Goldstein DVM
- Deborah Mitchell
- CJ Puotinen
- Joseph Demes DVM
- Robert Goldstein DVM
- Shannon Hines DVM
- Shawn Messonnier DVM
- Jan Allegretti & Katy Sommers DVM
- Amy D Shojai
It is funny that garlic is said to be toxic by some “experts” yet it is in many pet supplements & in some pet treats & foods. As I said earlier, if you’re still unsure do some research. I have used it with several of my dogs & currently am using it for one of my dogs(have a bowl of it diced in my refrigerator, where it can stay fresh for about 3 days). I do not recommend garlic supplements, only feed fresh raw garlic.
I will be writing each week (on Mondays) for a while about other ingredients that have been potentially controversial or maybe people aren’t sure if they are OK to feed or not. If you have an ingredient you would like me to write about let me know, I have quite a few in mind, but maybe you have one you are curious about.
If you enjoyed this post please hit the like button, share it with your friends, comment, & subscribe(won’t get spam, just email alerts when I publish a new post). All these help my blog to be seen & more people can learn some ways to help their pets thrive. I can be emailed at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thanks, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 