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Last Updated on February 8, 2024 by Thee Puppypreneur
CAN DOGS EAT GARLIC?
Can dogs have garlic? Well, yes and no is my answer to this question and I will explain more in detail throughout this article.
According to the ASPCA garlic is toxic to dogs. 1Garlic | ASPCA
However, if you ask your holistic veterinarian, is garlic bad for dogs. You may get a different answer depending on the reason you want to use garlic in the first place.
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a member of the genus Allium and therefore is related to onions, chives and shallots.
Garlic has wonderful antiseptic and anti-tumor qualities, 2Bayan, L., Koulivand, P. H., & Gorji, A. (2014). Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine, 4(1), 1–14. Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects – PMC (nih.gov) it has also been called anti-parasitic (but more on that one later).
Garlic for dogs is extremely controversial. Garlic extract was studied in 8 dogs they were given 5g (whole garlic)/kg body weight for 7 days. 3Lee, K. W., Yamato, O., Tajima, M., Kuraoka, M., Omae, S., & Maede, Y. (2000). Hematologic changes associated with the appearance of eccentrocytes after intragastric administration of garlic extract to dogs. American journal of veterinary research, 61(11), 1446–1450. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.2000.61.1446
To put it in perspective, one garlic clove (not the whole bulb) weighs 6 grams (I just weighed it) that means my 80-pound dog would need to eat 30 cloves of garlic or 3 whole bulbs as the bulb weighed 60 grams.
The dogs surprisingly didn’t develop anemia but blood test were ran on days 9 and 11 and their red blood cell count, hemoglobin and HCT were at the minimum values. 4Lee, K. W., Yamato, O., Tajima, M., Kuraoka, M., Omae, S., & Maede, Y. (2000). Hematologic changes associated with the appearance of eccentrocytes after intragastric administration of garlic extract to dogs. American journal of veterinary research, 61(11), 1446–1450. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.2000.61.1446
One could argue that the amount of garlic for dogs was excessive and one could argue that given the length of the study, had it continued for months then anemia would have been a likely possibility.
Before you make your decision on can dogs eat garlic and you decide to just discredit garlic all together for your dog, I implore you to finish reading the other ways garlic may be beneficial to your dog.
BENEFITS OF GARLIC FOR DOGS
BENEFICIAL AGAINST YEAST
Garlic for dogs can have antibacterial qualities. A clove of garlic uncrushed contains no thiosulfinates like allicin 5Garlic | Linus Pauling Institute | Oregon State University
When garlic is crushed these thiosulfinates are released. 6Borlinghaus, J., Foerster Née Reiter, J., Kappler, U., Antelmann, H., Noll, U., Gruhlke, M., & Slusarenko, A. J. (2021). Allicin, the Odor of Freshly Crushed Garlic: A Review of Recent Progress in Understanding Allicin’s Effects on Cells. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(6), 1505. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26061505
It is through crushing the garlic that we get all the wonderful antibacterial and anti-fungal qualities.
Fresh garlic extract has been found to be effective at reducing yeast. 7Shuford, J. A., Steckelberg, J. M., & Patel, R. (2005). Effects of fresh garlic extract on Candida albicans biofilms. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 49(1), 473. https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.49.1.473.2005
I know this to be true first hand. As my other dog had been constantly scratching his ears.
They were definitely red and very itchy with some build up and odor and I suspected that yeast was the culprit.
So, I grabbed my
Amazon.com : BRAGG Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, 16 Ounce : Grocery & Gourmet Food
and mixed a 50/50 water solution and wiped his ears.
ACV is beneficial at helping balance the pH of the skin and also at disinfecting and has anti-fungal properties.
Then I grabbed some liquid garlic extract like this extract made with cane-alcohol
Or this extract is made from glycerin and not alcohol
Amazon.com: HawaiiPharm Garlic (Allium sativum) Liquid Extract 4 Oz : Health & Household
I used a couple drops of the garlic extract diluted into a tablespoon of olive oil and then added a couple drops of the garlic and olive oil mixture to his ear and rubbed it in like I was seasoning garlic knots for dinner.
He smelled like an Italian restaurant but I repeated this for several days and after the 3rd or 4th day there was no redness and no problems to be had ever again with his ears.
Now your specific situation may be different so you will want to confirm with your veterinarian for the best course of treatment for your dog.
ANTIPARASITIC OR NOT?
Garlic for dogs has been widely used as a natural treatment against parasites such as roundworms and hookworms.
Why, I really couldn’t tell you.
A study actually investigated the effects of garlic in chickens infected with roundworms.
They compared chickens treated with the recommended dose of garlic and another group was treated with 10 times the recommended amount.
When compared to the group getting no garlic there was actually NO difference between the chickens treated with garlic and the chickens treated without. 8Velkers, F. C., Dieho, K., Pecher, F. W., Vernooij, J. C., van Eck, J. H., & Landman, W. J. (2011). Efficacy of allicin from garlic against Ascaridia galli infection in chickens. Poultry science, 90(2), 364–368. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.2010-01090
Some say that garlic for dogs can be good for repelling fleas and mosquitos. There is no scientific research or evidence that I could find on garlic being a sufficient flea repellent.
However there is this product on the market for your dog that contains brewers yeast and garlic and is for repelling fleas and ticks
However, garlic may be slightly effective at keeping mosquitos at bay.
In a study where humans were asked to consume raw garlic there wasn’t a significant difference 9Rajan, T. V., Hein, M., Porte, P., & Wikel, S. (2005). A double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of garlic as a mosquito repellant: a preliminary study. Medical and veterinary entomology, 19(1), 84–89. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0269-283X.2005.00544.x between non-garlic eaters and those consuming raw garlic but it was thought that the garlic should have been allowed to build up in their systems over time.
My thoughts on this are if you are looking for something all-natural as a flea, tick and mosquito repellent then
should do the job. They have all natural essential oils such as lemongrass, cedarwood, peppermint and rosemary that have been proven effective at repelling these pests.
ANTICANCER
When asking yourself, can dogs eat garlic? Just know that garlic is actually regarded as having antitumor properties. So you should talk to your veterinarian about giving garlic for dogs internally if appropriate for your situation.
“The growth rate of cancer cells is reduced by garlic.” 10Bayan, L., Koulivand, P. H., & Gorji, A. (2014). Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine, 4(1), 1–14. Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects – PMC (nih.gov)
“Garlic may be the most potent food having cancer preventive properties.” 11Bayan, L., Koulivand, P. H., & Gorji, A. (2014). Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine, 4(1), 1–14. Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects – PMC (nih.gov)
In a study with dogs where they were studying the organosulfur compounds found in garlic some of the organosulfur compounds were found to be effective at inhibiting the growth of mammary tumors in dogs. 12Sundaram, S. G., & Milner, J. A. (1993). Impact of organosulfur compounds in garlic on canine mammary tumor cells in culture. Cancer letters, 74(1-2), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3835(93)90048-e
In another study garlic oil applied topically to the skin inhibited growth of tumors in mice significantly more than those that were not given garlic oil. 13Perchellet, J. P., Perchellet, E. M., & Belman, S. (1990). Inhibition of DMBA-induced mouse skin tumorigenesis by garlic oil and inhibition of two tumor-promotion stages by garlic and onion oils. Nutrition and cancer, 14(3-4), 183–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/01635589009514093
SIDE EFFECTS OF GARLIC FOR DOGS
Again, just because you hear or see someone do something, doesn’t mean you have to do it too. What I mean is what might be right for one person’s dog may not be right for your dog.
Always consult with your veterinarian before starting anything new in your pet’s life. People have different opinions on things and some vets may say no to garlic and then there might be holistic vets that will want to use it in a formulation for your dog’s specific condition.
Dogs that are on certain medications, anemic, have blood clotting disorders or heart conditions should not use garlic.
Check out other articles and learn the potential hidden dangers of some other things they might already be eating such as;
