My Dog Ate Onions – What to Do?
Depending on how much onion your dog ate, there are action steps to take. If your dog only ate a few slices of onions, then there may not be any further treatment necessary. For example, if your dog ate a pizza with a few slices of onions. Or, if your dog ate a few onion pieces that accidentally dropped on the floor as your were chopping onions.
However, even with consumption of a small amount of onions, dog owners should observe their canine pets closely for any symptoms. Ingesting small quantities of onions won’t usually do much, however there can always be exceptions.
In the case that your dog accidentally ate a large serving of onions, then there are steps you may want to highly consider. Also, I should note that large dogs can consume more onions than smaller dogs before showing symptoms. Regardless, all dog breeds can be affected from onion toxicity.
The best and quickest way to get onions out of your dog is to induce vomiting. This is not something any dog owner wants to do, but is necessary in some cases. The quicker you do this, the more onions (and toxins) you will be able to get out. Do this as soon as your can.
To induce vomiting in your dog, simply push the “button” on the back of their throats until they start to vomit. I must warn you this is a very unpleasant experience, but it’s better than letting them potentially suffer more later.
The best way to absorb the poison in onions before your dog’s body does is by using activated charcoal. Yes, you heard right. Dogs won’t be very eager to eat activated charcoal, so try to do your best.
If you don’t have any activated charcoal lying around, there is another way. Grab some bread and put it in the toaster. Try to toast the bread until it becomes a charred dark black. The more charred, the better. Not surprisingly, dogs aren’t very eager to eat this severely toasted piece of bread.
If you can quickly get to your local vet, the second step can sometimes be skipped. But whether you go through the first two steps or not, you should end up taking your dog to the veterinarian. Your veterinarian will take all the necessary steps to fully flush out the rest of the toxins in your dog’s stomach.
In extreme cases or prolonged exposure to onion toxicity, the animal hospital will have different measures of treatment for that. Most of a time for severe cases, a blood transfusion and/or therapy for liver will be required of the dog. The possibility of the development of Anemia may require constant monitoring and care.
Your dog will be exhausted, especially if they had to go through the steps necessary to expunge the stomach of onion toxins. This means that it is not the greatest idea to take them out for runs and whatnot.
Make sure they stay hydrated with plenty of water in their system. It helps with their recovery from any foreign poison and toxin. Your vet should have further instructions for recovery based on your specific case. Don’t worry, your dog will be completely fine in no time!
Clubs Offering:
Onions can cause more damage to your dog than just bad breath. This pungent culinary favorite might add flavor to your dishes, but it contains a toxin that can cause serious complications for dogs.
Yes. Onions contain a toxic principle known as N-propyl disulfide. This compound causes a breakdown of red blood cells, leading to anemia in dogs.
The toxin causes oxidative damage to your dog’s red blood cells by attaching to the oxygen molecules in those cells. This reduces the ability of the red blood cells to carry oxygen and also tricks your dog’s body into thinking that the blood cell is an invader. The red blood cell is destroyed in a process known as hemolysis, resulting in hemolytic anemia.
What Parts of Onions are Toxic to Dogs?
All parts of the onion plant are toxic to dogs, including the flesh, leaves, juice, and processed powders. Whether raw or cooked, fried or powdered, onions and the rest of the allium family (garlic, shallots, leeks, and chives) are harmful to dogs.
Onion powder is in a surprisingly wide range of foods, from soups to baby food. It only takes 100 grams of onion (about the size of a medium onion) per 20 kilograms of a dog’s weight to cause toxic effects, which means that a 45-pound dog would only have to eat one medium-to-large onion to experience dangerous toxicity levels. Since most dogs would happily devour a bag of unattended onion rings or an onion casserole given the opportunity, this is a serious concern.
Onion and garlic powders are even more potent than fresh onions. It is always a good idea to check the label of any human food we feed to our dogs, and onion powder should be in your list of “don’ts.” As a word of warning to those with multi-species households, onions are even more toxic to cats than they are to dogs, so keep both feline and canine tummies free of onion treats.
FAQ
How many onion rings is toxic to dogs?
Will a small amount of onion hurt my dog?