Garlic in dogs food

Mia's Mom · Post by **Mia's Mom** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:25 pm

I am new to the pet parenting world and have been in several discussions on what to feed my furbaby. I received comments and advice on dry food, raw food, and cooking for dogs. I have a couple of friends that both cook for their dogs (the same foods actually: chicken, rice, peas & carrots). I have tried this and my little girl will eat the rice and chicken.....most of the time.

But my question pertains to garlic in food for dogs. I have read never to give dogs onions or garlic because it is toxic to them. One of my friends never gives her dogs garlic in their food, the other does add garlic powder. I have seen recipes for dogs that do list garlic as one of the ingredients. So what is the real answer to this? When and what type of garlic (fresh or dried) can be used in dog food?

I saw the show this morning with Bailey the Yorkie and saw that Victoria added a little bit of garlic to his food. (I really enjoyed the show with Bailey this morning and shared some of the tips with my friend that rescues Yorkies).

Thank you for any assistance or advice you can provide on this topic.

thenerdycyclist · Post by **thenerdycyclist** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:21 pm

Hmm...this is something I've been curious about, too. I've heard a plethora of things

ckranz · Post by **ckranz** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:44 am

Whole cloves of garlic should be avoided as they can be toxic as garlic is a member of the onion family.

Very small amounts of garlic can be added and in some cases may provide some protection from fleas. Please use very sparingly.

mikki · Post by **mikki** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:15 am

You can give the dog garlic but NEVER AND EVER a cat. You will kill the cat with Garlic. The bloodcells are dying.

I have heard this too that when you giv ethe dog garlic it will not get fleas. I think thats a myth. It did not worked on our dogs.

Doggie Python · Post by **Doggie Python** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:06 pm

mikki wrote:

I have heard this too that when you giv ethe dog garlic it will not get fleas. I think thats a myth. It did not worked on our dogs.

I just saw this on the Animal Planet show "Dogs 101". An owner put garlic in his dogs food and remarked on it helping with the fleas.

I found most of the infornation on the net seems to say not to give garlic to dogs.

ckranz · Post by **ckranz** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:20 pm

Garlic tends to make a dog more resilient against flea infestation but it will not cure and infestation problem, nor will it make them "flea proof". Its like the difference between water repellent and water proof. Garlic fall into repellent category.

Small amounts of garlic will not harm a dog, but whole cloves and such will cause the same medical issues as eating onions. The smaller the dog, the lesser amount of the amount garlic that can be tolerated.

Pitbulover · Post by **Pitbulover** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:03 am

I my self haven't heard about garlic helping against flies, but we do use garlic in a pill form it is a mixture w brewerers yeast and it helps w the skin and coat. I have been told large amounts can be harmful. The amount that is i would like to know as well

Fundog · Post by **Fundog** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 4:52 am

Small amounts of garlic have also been found to be helpful for the dog's immune system, and for cardiovascular health-- just as in humans.

As for "small amount:" When Victoria does it, she just presses a clove to extract the juice, and it's just the sticky juice that she adds to the food. "Too much" would be to not only press, but mince up a clove and add the whole bit. Or a light sprinkle of garlic powder wouldn't hurt either. With my dog, not only is it just these small traces, but it's not even everyday-- just sometimes. She's perfectly healthy.