Is Garlic Really Dangerous for Dogs? Canine Nutritionist Weighs In

I’m a canine nutritionist and master herbalist, and I’m here to tell you no. Garlic is not bad for dogs, if you feed it in appropriate amounts.

The original study published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research back in 2000 that caused this pervasive myth that garlic is bad for your dogs was weak, limited in terms of both duration and participants and involved deliberate overdosing.

Interestingly, the results of the study concluded that foods with garlic should not be given to dogs, even though, despite the significant overfeeding, none of the four dogs actually developed hemolytic anemia.

The study has since been repeatedly discredited, yet you’ll see blog posts demonizing garlic all over the Internet.

So, Is Garlic Safe for Dogs?

Garlic is safe and has many health benefits if you feed it appropriately. I give my dogs fresh, raw, organic garlic daily for its healthful properties and as part of my natural flea, tick, and worm prevention routine.

I also incorporate it into my bone broth recipe for a little extra healthful boost.

What Are the Benefits?

People who look to natural wellness love garlic for humans and pets because it has so many beneficial properties. It supports heart and blood health by acting as a vasodilator to widen blood vessels, reduces cholesterol buildup, acts as an anti-clotting agent, and lowers blood pressure.

The beneficial compounds in garlic also give it antibiotic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. It’s so effective that it’s even proven to be useful in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

It also has anti-tumor properties and general immune-boosting abilities and acts as an anti-inflammatory.

It’s also an effective anti-helminthic or dewormer. I use it in conjunction with pumpkin seeds and furry rabbit ears to keep my dogs free from worms. I also have a lab run a fecal panel every six months to be sure they’re gut- and lung-worm-free. My dogs have never had a positive test in the ten years I’ve been using this natural combination. 

I also use garlic as an effective flea and tick repellent. As with humans, dogs excrete garlic through their skin. While the change is not noticeable to humans, it is to fleas and ticks, who find the scent repulsive and will look elsewhere for a tastier meal.

As an herbalist and canine nutritionist, I use garlic for its preventive and curative properties for my house's humans and animals in my house.

Choosing the Right Type of Garlic

I prefer raw, fresh, organic garlic. The volatile compounds in garlic degrade quickly, so I chop or mine the amount I need about 10 minutes before I feed it.

Letting it rest for a few minutes is vital, as the allin combines with the allinase to form delicate but potent allicin, the primary compound that gives garlic anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, anti-tumor, antioxidant, and antiviral capabilities.

My little guilty pleasure is playing a few rounds of my favorite cash gaming apps while I wait for the garlic to be ready. I end up getting quite the stack of freebies this way.

I prefer to use garlic I’ve grown myself or organic bulbs from the grocery store. In a pinch, I’ll also use a high-end supplement formulated for dogs, but only if I don’t have a fresh, organic supply available. 

Does the Type of Garlic Matter?

Yes. It matters.

I will only use garlic that I’m confident is organic. Much imported garlic, especially from some parts of Asia, is dangerously contaminated with heavy metals, not to mention contamination from pesticides and bleaching agents.

Also note that garlic powders and extracts are not safe for dogs because they are more highly concentrated, and because of the way they’re processed, they don’t contain the majority of the beneficial compounds.

How Much Garlic Is Safe for Your Dog?

Different experts often quote different safe doses for garlic. I play it safe and agree with holistic veterinarians like Dr. Judy Morgan, who recommends approximately ⅓ of a teaspoon, or roughly ½ a clove or minced, crushed, or chopped garlic per 10 pounds of body weight per day.

Plus, there’s a little garlic in their daily bone broth serving, but this is a negligible amount. Because I play it safe with the raw garlic serving, I have a little wiggle room.

Can Garlic Be Bad for Dogs?

Yes, if you feed massive amounts. The four dogs from the original study were fed 5mg per kilogram per body weight daily. To put that in perspective, you’d have to feed between six and eight whole cloves of garlic for every ten pounds of weight every day to replicate the findings of that flawed piece of research.

Bear in mind the actual safe therapeutic dose for a 10-pound dog is ⅓ of a teaspoon daily, or approximately one-third of a single clove.

But Isn’t Garlic Related to Onions?

Yes. Garlic is a member of the allium family, along with onions, leeks, and chives. In the same way, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and deadly nightshade are members of the same family.

They’re related but not the same. You can safely eat tomatoes and peppers by the bucketload, and most of us eat potatoes in some form several times per week. But we’re not likely to try snacking on deadly nightshade.

So, for most dogs, garlic is safe in moderation. It contains much lower levels of thiosulphate than onions.

Are There Any Dogs You Wouldn’t Feed Garlic To?

Yes, there are. Out of an abundance of caution, I wouldn’t give garlic to any dog prone to anemia or with a history of low platelet counts. Similarly, I wouldn’t give garlic to a dog that’s had or is at risk of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA).

Even though, ordinarily, therapeutic doses of garlic are low and safe, in my opinion, the risk of an adverse reaction in a potentially more sensitive dog outweighs any benefit.

I also don’t recommend giving garlic to pregnant and nursing dogs. There isn’t enough supporting evidence for pregnant dogs to warrant the risk to the developing puppies. And for nursing dogs, garlic changes the flavor of the milk, making it unpalatable to the pups.

Note that garlic is also not safe for puppies. When very young, puppies cannot produce new red blood cells, so garlic is highly risky. I wouldn’t give garlic to puppies under six months, and then I’d only give perhaps half the adult dose until they mature, just to be safe.

Because garlic has anti-platelet properties, it’s an effective blood thinner. So, if your dog needs surgery, you should stop giving garlic two weeks before the procedure and give the surgical site at least a week to heal before resuming.

If your dog is on any other medications, I strongly recommend you speak to a holistic veterinarian before you give garlic. It can speed up the metabolism of some medicines, making them leave the body faster, and it can magnify the effects of other medications. For example, garlic can add to the effects of blood pressure medication, causing the dog’s blood pressure to drop too low. The same applies to anti-clotting or blood-thinning medications.

If I wanted to use something other than garlic, I’d find some easy ways to incorporate ginger and blueberries into my dogs’ diets, as both of these have many potential benefits. My dogs both enjoy my ginger and blueberry treats, and you can also incorporate fresh wild blueberries or organic wild blueberry powder into their meals, along with a tiny bit of freshly grated ginger.

This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.