Is garlic safe in dogfood?

There are many myths especially on blogs and forums about what are the foods that humans eat that can make a dog sick.

Aside from allergies which could affect one particular animal, there are foods that should not be fed to dogs. Chocolate, for instance if eaten in large quantities could make your dog really sick. According to Dr Mary Labato, D.V.M., D.A.C.V.I.M., a Clinical Associate Professor at Cummings Veterinary School at Tufts University in North Grafton, Massachusetts , chocolate contains teobromine which when ingested in large quantities could be dangerous.

But when it comes to garlic, not only will your dog love it, it is also good for him. Of course garlic should be use as a flavoring agent to make your dog’s food tasty and it should not be given in large quantities.

Garlic in dogfood will help repel fleas. In fact there are preparations you can buy at natural pet stores that combine garlic and brewer’s yeast and are specially formulated to repel fleas.

According to Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM, PhD, garlic helps to eliminate parasites, strengthen digestion and can be used to promote intestinal health. He suggests to include fresh grated garlic with each meal. Depending on your dog’s size you can feed garlic to your dog using from ½ for toy sized dogs to 3 cloves for giant breeds.

If you have never fed garlic to you dog, you should start with small quantities and watch for any changes in the bowels. There probably wont be any but it never hurts to be careful when adding something new to your dog’s diet.

The reason why garlic could harmful to dogs, is if the dog ingests very large quantities of garlic. Let’s say, 40 or 50 cloves. Garlic contains a compound named thiosulphate and if ingested in extremely high levels, thiosulphate can can cause hemolytic anemia in dogs.

So as long as you use garlic sparingly in your dog food, your dog will love the flavor and will be healthier for it.