How Much Garlic is Toxic to Dogs?
Studies have found it takes approximately 15 to 30 grams of garlic per kilograms of body weight to produce harmful changes in a dog’s blood. To put that into perspective, the average clove of supermarket garlic weighs between 3 and 7 grams, so your dog would have to eat a lot to get really sick. However, some dogs are more sensitive to garlic toxicity than others, and consumption of a toxic dose spread out over a few days could also cause problems.
This means that if your dog accidentally eats something containing a little garlic, they will probably be okay, but intentionally feeding it to your dog is a bad idea.
Why Is Garlic Bad for Dogs?
This plant affects blood clotting, so dogs should never eat garlic two weeks before any scheduled surgery. If your pet happens to get into garlicky food before a procedure, make sure to tell your veterinarian.
Also, never feed garlic to puppies because they dont start reproducing new red blood cells until about six to eight weeks of age. Always be cautious when giving any new food, supplement, or medicine to pregnant dogs because they can affect the breast milk and puppies.
Garlic can interact with several types of medications, including heart medications, high blood pressure drugs, immune suppressants, chemotherapy drugs, antacids, insulin, and blood thinners. Dont feed your dog garlic if they are on any of these medications.
Why Do Some Dog Foods Have Garlic?
Garlic contains many healthy components, such as amino acids, sulfur, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins. At very low doses, garlic can be beneficial for your pet’s health. Most pet foods have very low concentrations of garlic and have been tested by pet food manufacturers with no toxic effects observed.
But remember that these foods have been tested, and it is not the same as giving your dog garlic at home.