No, Dogs Can’t Eat Garlic

About 20 years ago, it was completely acceptable to feed dogs garlic, and many pet owners swore garlic repelled fleas. Fast forward to today and things have changed. Garlic is now considered poisonous to dogs. What has caused this sudden change? In a nutshell, better veterinary care with sophisticated diagnostics has proven garlic is not your dog’s friend.

Garlic is Related to Onions

Garlic and onions are extremely poisonous to dogs. According to Pet Poison Helpline, ingestion of garlic can result in:

“Oxidative damage to the red blood cells (making the red blood cells more likely to rupture) and gastroenteritis (e.g., nausea, oral irritation, drooling, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea).”

As a pre-veterinary major years ago, I had the opportunity to view red blood cells of a dog that passed away from ingesting onions. It was clear this poor dog’s red blood cells were ruptured, and it was very disturbing to view.

Garlic is a close cousin to onions, so are chives, and it seems garlic can cause the same dog fatalities caused by onions. This applies to garlic powder too.

How Much Garlic is Poisonous to Dogs?

In all cases, garlic ingestion is lethal in large doses, but what is considered too much? While we can assume large dogs can ingest larger doses than small dogs, that’s not always accurate.

Certain dog breeds are more sensitive to garlic than other dogs. Japanese breeds of dogs, such as Akitas, Shiba Inus, Japanese Spitz and Tosa Inus, are much more sensitive to garlic than other breeds (Pet Poison Helpline, 2017). The amount of garlic that is fatal to dogs is unknown, so it’s not worth the risk.

Healthier Options

After researching the latest information, it’s best not to feed any garlic or garlic powder to dogs. It’s just not worth the risk because you don’t know if garlic can affect your dog. Instead, add pulped raw vegetables and fruits to your dog’s meals. Raw vegetables and fruits have proven to reduce cancer in certain dog breeds. Toss in cooked oatmeal, eggs and apple cider vinegar for additional health benefits.

Repelling Fleas Without Garlic

For pet owners concerned about repelling fleas, adding apple cider vinegar (ACV) to your dog’s morning meals works just as well. Most dogs dislike the taste of ACV, so hide the bitter taste with a dollop of raw honey. Also, control your dog’s environment with weekly sprays of cedar oil and use an essential oil flea shampoo for dogs.

Skip garlic for dogs. It’s just not worth it for your dog’s health.