Is Garlic Safe for Dogs?

Is Garlic Safe for Dogs?

It’s great when pet owners ask questions, because it shows they genuinely care about the well-being of the animals in their care. One of the questions we get asked a lot is, “Is garlic safe for dogs? Why do you have it in Stay Loyal food?”

Many pet poison sites list garlic as a toxic food that you should not feed your dog, along with chocolate and grapes. However, if you dig deeper, and follow the bunny trail down the path of research and homeopathic canine herbalist who specialize in these types of foods, you will find that while this statement can be true, it is grossly overstated.

The statement “too much of a good thing is bad” is true of almost everything we put into our bodies. Too much water can kill you. Potassium is used for lethal injections. Yet both are essential for life – we need water to keep our bodies hydrated and potassium keeps the heart pumping.

In regards to toxicity, the same can be said of garlic. A study done by Interdisciplinary Toxicology was done to figure out just how much of popularly labeled toxic foods – chocolate, caffeine, grapes, raisins, onion, avocado, macadamia nuts, xylitol, alcohol and garlic – your dog would need to consume to start seeing signs of toxicity.

Their conclusion? “Garlic is considered to be less toxic and safe for dogs than onion when used in moderation.” They were feeding 5 grams of garlic per kilogram of body weight each day to the dogs during the trial. That’s a LOT of garlic. Take a 30-kilogram dog, you would have to feed that dog 150 grams of garlic in one day, which equates to almost 21 cloves of garlic (assuming the cloves weigh about 7 grams). And, even at that high amount, the dogs did not develop hemolytic anemia, which is one of the main concerns about feeding garlic.

Obviously, you don’t want to feed your dog this much garlic and have him be at risk for anemia. But you don’t eat 5g of garlic per kilogram of your own body weight a day, either.

However, it’s definitely safe to feed your dog a little each day, and very beneficial!

Garlic Benefits

Rita Hogan is a canine herbalist who has been feeding her dogs garlic for years, her pug is 16-years-old and going strong with this daily dose of garlic.

One of the main reasons many herbalists give their dogs garlic is because it acts an internal flea and tick repellant that is much safer than the chemicals you buy at the pet store.

But it does so much more than that! Garlic also helps the liver detoxify and boosts the immune system. Garlic is known to help with bacterial, viral and fungal infections, things dogs frequently suffer from. Garlic can also lower blood cholesterol, reduce fat build up in arteries and even help prevent blood clots!

So Why is it in Stay Loyal?

At Stay Loyal, we are dedicated to providing a holistic dog food diet that, along with fresh fruit and veggies and meaty bones, will give your dog the best nutrition to live a long and healthy life. As you read above, garlic has many wonderful properties that not only keeps every day pests and problems away, but can help prevent big, potentially fatal problems like blood clots and liver problems. Instead of having to chop and crush fresh garlic daily for your pet, we’ve made it simple by adding it to their kibble. It’s just one more way we are making sure we are feeding the “whole dog” for balanced nutrition from the inside out.

If you wanted to add a bit of fresh garlic to your dog’s food, say when he is fighting a fungal infection or kennel cough, for an extra boost, the following is a good guideline from The Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Dr. Pitcairn:

5 to 7 kilograms: 1/2 clove

9 to 18 kilograms: 1 clove

20 to 32 kilograms: 2 cloves

34 to 40 Kilograms: 2.5 cloves

45+ kilograms: 3 cloves

(One clove equals Approximately 7grams)