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.
Modern uses for garlic
Garlic’s magical properties have not escaped modern researchers. Recent studies have proven that garlic can lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure and raise the levels of anti-clotting factors in the blood. Other studies suggest that garlic can prevent and eliminate heavy-metal poisoning. Scientists have demonstrated that garlic can slow the growth of certain types of tumors. Garlic has even been shown effective in treating opportunistic infections in AIDS patients.
Humans, of course, have shared their good fortune in exploiting this powerful and beneficial herb with their animal companions. Garlic is good for dogs, as well! Dogs seem to be able to benefit from garlic in many ways.
Perhaps garlic’s chief use lies in its ability to promote general wellness. While herbalists discourage feeding daily doses of garlic (or any other herb) year-round, in most applications, experts recommend feeding garlic three to five times a week for a period of a month or two, followed by a reduction or elimination of the dose. Careful observation needs to be maintained. If the sparkle goes out of the dog’s eye, just begin the garlic again.
What You Need to Know Before Shopping
Its important to use fresh, organic garlic. I prefer to grow garlic at home or buy from a local farm or farmers market that offers locally grown produce. Garlic that isnt organic may have been imported from overseas, and it may have been rinsed off with chemicals.
According to Herbalist Rita Hogan, in this article she wrote for Dogs Naturally Magazine, the property in garlic that provides medicinal benefits is called allicin, which degrades after some time (10-15 minutes), so it must be used immediately. Using crushed or minced garlic we find at the grocery store wont work; the medicinal benefits are no longer there. It must be fresh garlic – crush, allow to sit for 10 minutes, then mix the appropriate dosage into a dogs meal.