Garlic for Dogs and Cats: Good or Bad?

Garlic for Dogs and Cats: Unveiling the Truth

Is garlic really as unsafe for dogs and cats as many people claim on the internet, or is it actually safe and can it offer many health benefits for your pets? Is it good? Is it bad? Get the answer in this video. If you’re looking to learn more about natural pet health and wellness, you’ve come to the right place. Click the link to subscribe to Veterinary Secrets.

The Historical and Medical Significance of Garlic

Garlic has been used medicinally for people for thousands of years. It is antifungal, antiviral, and a really potent antibacterial. There are hundreds of studies showing its clear benefits as a natural antimicrobial agent. It has many specific anti-cancer properties and has been widely used in humans for heart health. It can naturally lower cholesterol, which is much better for you than those statins. Personally, I love the flavor of garlic and really go out of my way to include it in my cooking. Although there is that little issue about consuming it raw and the kind of garlicky smell it produces on your breath, it offers, number one, so many taste benefits but, more importantly, a whole host of specific health benefits.

Garlic Misconceptions and Safety for Pets

I was taught that garlic, this stuff right here, is not safe for our pets and that multiple studies suggest it contains thiolsulfates, which can damage red blood cells leading to Heinz body anemia. Garlic is now not approved by the FDA for pet food, and the ASPCA’s Poison Control hotline lists garlic as a toxin. So, how do you make sense of that? Is this stuff safe or not?

Many of the initial claims saying that it’s really toxic for our pets came from a 2000 study done in Japan. They were feeding dogs the equivalent of 25 large garlic cloves, which is a huge amount for a 50 lb dog. These dogs, despite the excessive garlic, showed no outward signs of toxicity and no measurable hemolytic anemia, although they did have changes in their red blood cells. Most alternative practitioners now advise using garlic in the recommended dose of one clove for 50 pounds of body weight daily. So really, they were giving 25 times the recommended amount, and guess what? There were some side effects.

A 2004 follow-up study, which included many of the scientists from the original 2000 study, found that allicin, the active ingredient within garlic, is specifically beneficial for mammals and should be considered as an alternative health treatment for some conditions affecting our dogs or cats. In fact, a recent article published in Innovative Veterinary Care says that garlic is well-rounded and safe for veterinary practice. According to Poison Control reports, there are virtually zero cases of garlic toxicity reported in dogs or cats.

Garlic’s Benefits and Safe Use

Garlic contains a fraction of the thiolsulfates compared to onions, making it less toxic. It is also one of the best natural antibacterials, with over 350 published papers supporting its multiple antibacterial effects. Garlic is antifungal, helping dogs with secondary yeast infections from allergies, and is beneficial against some viruses, showing its anti-cancer properties and importance for heart health in both humans and pets.

The most important active ingredient in garlic is allicin, which is released when garlic is crushed. Garlic is also anti-parasitic, effective against Giardia and Borrelia, the bacteria causing Lyme disease.

Recommended Dosage for Pets

For safe and appropriate dosing of raw garlic, I would recommend a quarter of a standard clove per 10 lb of body weight daily. It’s important to crush the garlic to activate the allicin. Alternatively, aged garlic extract in capsule form contains the concentrated active ingredient and is easier to administer to your animals. A standard dose would be 100 mg for every 10 lb of body weight daily.

In conclusion, when given in the appropriate doses, garlic is not bad as many conventional sources claim; I’d say it’s really good. Thanks so much for watching this edition of Veterinary Secrets on garlic for dogs and cats. Click up there to subscribe, hit the bell to sign up for notifications, and when you click that link directly in the box below, I can send you a copy of my free book.