Is Garlic Good or Bad for Dogs?
One of our readers asked the question “is garlic good or bad for dogs?” While animals of all types have been given garlic for centuries, the debate as to whether it is good or bad for animals continues. So lets look at the arguments for and against garlic.
The Stink on Garlic and Dogs
Myths and Realities
Garlic and dogs have a long relationship. Garlic is one of the oldest medicines in the world. It has been in use as a medicinal herb for close to 5,000 years. Many cultures throughout time have relied on garlic for its healing properties. Garlic is revered for both its antifungal and antibacterial properties. It also helps the body to build white blood cells, acting as a means to build up the immunity. Garlic has many of the same effects on dogs that it does on their human counterparts. In his book The Nature of Animal Healing : The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat
Arguments For the Use of Garlic
Garlic is used in many commercial dog foods and is believed to possess antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. It may also improve liver function and is even believed to prevent heart disease. But one of the most popular reasons for giving garlic to dogs is to help control fleas. There are many different opinions as to why this works (or doesn’t). Some of these theories include that garlic raises or lowers the pH of the blood, making it undesirable to those little bloodsuckers. Others claim that it simply masks the smell of the dog, making them invisible to pests. I do not know which of these is actually true, but personally, I have seen it work wonderfully with some dogs and not with others. It might be a matter of getting the dosage right. It might also have to do with the individual dog’s body chemistry as well.
Arguments Against the Use of Garlic
The wide use of garlic in commercial dog foods and the sale of garlic tablets for dogs would make garlic appear to be safe for dogs. However, garlic and dogs do not always mix. Garlic has many healing properties, but it also contains a chemical compound called thiosulphate. This compound can be toxic in extremely high levels, causing hemolytic anemia in dogs. This is a serious, life threatening condition for your dog. So, yes garlic can be toxic to dogs.
But, this too is a matter of dosage. The garlic found in dog treats, dog food, and garlic tablets designed for dogs is not likely to cause this toxic reaction. They would have to eat something like 50 cloves (not bulbs, cloves) for a medium sized dog to get enough to cause a toxic reaction. A clove is one of the little sections. You would know it if your dog ate enough to cause a toxic reaction, you would be missing a lot of garlic! That would equally approximately 10-20 bulbs, depending on the variety.
This stinky weed can have many positive effects for both humans and dogs. But in the end, the decision of whether to give garlic to your dog is a personal choice. Some dogs are extremely sensitive to various types of food so before giving garlic to your dog for the first time, speak with your veterinarian about dosage and any concerns you may have. As for me, I will continue to give garlic to my dogs.
I am not a vet but to my knowledge, garlic does nothing for worms
Does anyone know if garlic will take care of worms also or just fleas?
I been making my own dog food for awhile.And I use chicken breast,sweet potatoes, ,brown rice with 4 or 5 garlic cloves.That I boil all my ingredients. Well my Precious is very healthy and her stool is always soiled. So pet owner use garlic its all good..
I really have never had a problem with giving Garlic to my dogs. So I would not worry about it.
i’ve had some experience with garlic for dogs and cats. i don’t have these animals anymore as this was a long time ago and they have passed. for the time i had them they were eating Solid Gold food which contained garlic. they loved it once they got used to it and they never got sick and they never had fleas. i have a new dog and cat, the dog has garlic in her food, the cat doesn’t. what’s strange is they are both Blue Buffalo foods. my puppy seems ok to me so far though i am a little nervous now that this debate is so intense over garlic. onions and garlic are in the same group and yet onions are considered poisonous???? i’m going to switch my dog to their grain free variety for tears and staining and it has garlic too. i feel it’s okay again in appropriate amounts. and it didn’t work on molly for fleas so far but she had them when we purchased her and she wasn’t on garlic food. hmmmm. any more thoughts would be appreciated to make my final decision to look for garlic free food.
I have a 90lb pit that is almost 3yrs, I always sprinkle garlic powder over his food he has never had any issues with it! He is nice and healthy and has a nice shiny coat! my neighbor friend also has a pit and several cats ( I’ve herd they have a flea infested house) everytime they came over i would see 2 or 3 fleas on my dog, but he has never had a problem w fleas either ( he does get his monthly dose of frontline) If I ever found out that garlic was prooving to be harmful to my dog I would stop immediately!
Lol kim ur dog weighs 175 pounds?
Lol kim ur dog weighs 175 pounds?!
I know as a fact that if your dog has worms a little slice of garlic in some liver sausage will bring them out when your dog poops.
I read an article that said it accrues in the body so that the toxicity builds up over time. Therefore, it would seem not to matter about the dose, just whether the dog is being given garlic regularly. Wish there was a definitive answer as I like the natural approach (garlic) for dealing with fleas.
Well he might have a little indigestion but should be ok. My lab once ate half a jar of Bug Off Garlic chewable tablets and was fine. Of course she smelled like linguine and clam sauce for a week and never ate garlic again but was now the worse for wear. There are so many differing opinions about garlic but from what my vet has told me they would have yo eat a large quantity of garlic before they were really harmed.
My nosey mastiff got on the counter and grabbed One of those garlic butter dips and got some out of it. Granted I think more got on his bed, im not sure how much he ingested. So i wasnt sure how bad garlic was for dogs. He weighs 175lbs, so i.was thinking that small amount wouldnt be harmful…opinions??? Lol thanks
thanks… nothing is actually toxic of itself. it is the dose that makes them toxic. garlic is not exempted.
I have not tried it on a dog but I know it is a common treatment for human wart removal. I saw a few sites saying it is ok to use on dogs. I know there is a lot of debate about garlic and whether it is good or bad for dogs. I have been giving it to my dogs for years with no harmful effects. Full disclaimer, I am not a vet (just a dog mom) so this is not to be considered medical advice.
Good luck
I have a very old dog,who has warts, and was told to rub them with raw garlic. not tried it yet because he might injest it through his skin, can anyone say whether this way of using garlic will be harmful or not, If not I will try it on the warts and let you know the results.
I always give my dogs Garlic !!! Also I rub it over their body before they walk in a new area where they may come into contact with Fleas and Ticks !!!!!!! Also use Neem Oil and Lemongrass !!!!!!!!!!!! All my dogs and we have had a few all died of old age barr one that died in a tragic accident !!!!!! I do say to people that anything in large amounts would/could have adverse effects !!!!!!!!!!As with any living thing having large quantities of anything !!!!!!!!!!!!
can I use the olive oil cocoanut oil and garlic mix on cats? What is the ratio for the mix for dogs
Hi Kaitlyn, Glad it cleared up! Thanks for visiting.
This makes me feel SO much better about having given my dog garlic! I had heard from someone that it would help with fleas and ticks, but recently I read that it was very toxic to dogs! He had a skin condition at the time and, after reading that about garlic, I wasn’t sure if that was making him sick too. The vet figured out what he was allergic to (causing the skin problem) but I don’t think we bothered telling them we were giving him garlic. Now I feel much better about that and I know we didn’t give him too much. Plus, the medication the vet gave him cleared him up, so I guess I was just overreacting. lol
I just put a mix of olive oil coconut oil and garlic on my dog because none of the others worked I put her in the bath tub and as I rubbed it in the fleas started comming off, she had a lot of them I have checked her this morn and haven’t found any.
I use 1/8 tsp of garlic power per pound of food per day…. seems to work o.k…less flea activity I have noted.. and also gives them other desired affects for health as it doers in humans. Other if clove.. 1/2 clove for each 15 lbs. is what I was told.
I have two rescue dogs one medium sized and one large. I have been giving them one garlic capsule for human’s a day, for years with very good results. I live in an area with lots of dune habitat with it’s population of rabbit, fox, pony and other species and my dogs have never had fleas, the odd tick yes, but that is easily solved. I actually don’t think a dog could eat the amount of garlic need to cause toxicity, and surely owners can use their common sense when giving their dog garlic in capsule form.
I have two rescue dogs one medium sized and one large. I have been giving them one garlic capsule for human’s, a day, for quite a few years now with very good results. I live in an area with lots of dune habitat with it’s population of rabbit, fox, pony and other species and my dogs have never had fleas,the odd tick yes, but that is easily solved. I actually don’t think a dog could eat the amount of garlic needed to cause toxicity, and surely owners can use their common sense when giving their dog garlic in capsule form.
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On another site having to do with Dogs and Fleas, there is a rule for giving garlic to dogs.
In lbs. of dogs weight, as follows:
10-15lbs 1/2 clove, 20-40 lbs. 1 clove, 45-70 lbs. 2 cloves, 75-90 lbs. 2 1/2 cloves, 100 lbs and over 3 cloves. Also states the dog will never get Fleas or Ticks again. Also rubbing the dog with Neem oil from a health food store is supposed to repel fleas. I gave my puppy a bath using 1/4 if a 8 oz. bottle of dog shampoo and 10 drops of 100% lavender essential oil. Sprinkled food grade diatamacious earth on my lawn where he does his duty and gave him 1/3 clove of garlic and haven’t seen a flea on him since. My DVM said garlic won’t hurt him given in moderation. My DVM said garlic is not toxic to dogs and garlic repelling fleas is a myth. My DVM said they treated dog taking garlic that had fleas. does anyone know what the correct answer is because I don’t want to take the chance of hurting my pet, he’s part of my family, and loved.
I have not received anything fro Cornell and I am on the family and friends alumni lists. While cats are more sensitive to garlic than dogs, all the research suggests that a dog would have to ingest quite a lot of garlic before it would harm them.
Cornell university sent out a flyer stating that garlic like onions is very bad and even toxic to dogs. Did anyone else receive this flyer. Does anyone have any thoughts on this. Cornell is supposed to be the best place for concerns with animals.
I recenty heard from someone to give your dog a clove of garlic but I put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and put it in a little piece of ham for fleas and my dog loves it
Thanks FOB – I’ll now use garlic carefully (we were off it) since Sid likes it and in small amounts it appears totally safe!