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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Klavot on July 28, 2007, at 10:54:42
Many people claim that chocolate, onions and garlic are toxic to dogs. Is that true? I have yet to see any rational explanation for why these substances might be toxic.
Klavot
Posted by Phillipa on July 28, 2007, at 12:06:54
In reply to Chocolate, onion and garlic toxicity, posted by Klavot on July 28, 2007, at 10:54:42
I know chocolate is didn't know about the others. Love Phillipa
Posted by Larry Hoover on July 31, 2007, at 17:24:32
In reply to Chocolate, onion and garlic toxicity, posted by Klavot on July 28, 2007, at 10:54:42
> Many people claim that chocolate, onions and garlic are toxic to dogs. Is that true? I have yet to see any rational explanation for why these substances might be toxic.
>
> KlavotThe theobromine in chocolate can cause heart arrhythmia. Also, chocolate containes caffeine, which can combine with theobromine. Double whammie. Onions, but to a lesser extent, garlic, contain substances that cause haemolytic anemia in dogs. The poisoning can be cumulative, so a series of small doses can do as much damage as one large dose.
I got numerous hits from the google search
"canine toxic foods". Here's a representative list of *25* potentially toxic human foods.
http://www.e-dog-training.com/HumanFoodsToxicToDogs.htmlAs in all toxic effects, the dose makes the poison. I discovered why a friend's dog gets sick every fall. He eats the apples that fall from the trees, and the pips are cyanogenic.
Lar
Posted by Klavot on August 1, 2007, at 8:01:24
In reply to Re: Chocolate, onion and garlic toxicity » Klavot, posted by Larry Hoover on July 31, 2007, at 17:24:32
Posted by Quintal on August 8, 2007, at 7:36:11
In reply to Chocolate, onion and garlic toxicity, posted by Klavot on July 28, 2007, at 10:54:42
My friend's Doberman ate all the chocolate snowmen off their Christmas tree one year and spent boxing day in ER having its stomach pumped. Cost over £500. And our vet once told my dad to avoid feeding raw onions to our dog because he'd seen many cases of poisoning in Australian where he trained, from people feeding dogs these foods at barbecues. Paracetamol is also dangerous for dogs, deadly for cats. I've forgotten the reason why - something to do with metabolic pathways I think. Ibuprofen and aspirin are safer.
Q
Posted by JLx on August 13, 2007, at 15:43:36
In reply to Re: Chocolate, onion and garlic toxicity » Klavot, posted by Phillipa on July 28, 2007, at 12:06:54
I've given my dogs plenty of garlic through the years, including garlic dog treats, raw and cooked garlic. It's recommended in a book I have called Dr. Pitcairn's "Natural Health for Dogs and Cats" which has sold many copies and is considered something of a classic.
I've never heard anything about garlic being toxic until just lately. (Chocolate and onions, yes, but not garlic.)
Holistic vets have been using garlic for years. http://www.azmira.com/PublicationGarlicTheFacts.htm
"Garlic, the Facts
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!"
http://www.sojos.com/garlicarticle.html"Despite its healing qualities, Garlic contains a compound named thiosulphate. In extremely high levels thiosulphate can be a dangerous toxin that cause hemolytic anemia in dogs. But we’re not talking about garlic dog treats, supplemental garlic, or healthy table scraps that may have included fresh garlic in the recipe. We’re talking about situations where your pet sniffs out several bulbs of garlic you were about to use for a giant batch of homemade spaghetti sauce for the whole neighborhood and winds up eating 50 cloves in one sitting. We repeat . . . it would take up to 50 cloves for garlic to be harmful to your dog!"
http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/storytemplate_process.cfm?story_no=257
"Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. A single meal of 600 to 800 grams of raw onion can be dangerous whereas a ten-kilogram dog, fed 150 grams of onion for several days, is also likely to develop anaemia. The condition improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion
While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness."
I think it MUST be a question of volume or all the folks that have been giving their dogs garlic and garlic/brewer's yeast supplements all these years would have had many sick dogs.
JL
Posted by Larry Hoover on August 19, 2007, at 21:16:54
In reply to Re: Garlic toxicity??, posted by JLx on August 13, 2007, at 15:43:36
Ya, the evidence that I found against garlic was equivocal. I thought to err on the side of caution, nonetheless.
Lar
This is the end of the thread.
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