How Much Garlic Can Kill A Dog?

In this research you will know the answer to the query “How Much Garlic Can Kill A Dog?“.

Did you find your dog chewing some garlic? Or do they help themselves to tasty garlic-flavored food you accidentally left within their reach?

We’ve all heard a dozen times about how toxic garlic is to dogs and how it can do terrible things to a dog’s body. Therefore your dog has every reason to freak out because he ate some garlic right? Not exactly. 

Even though garlic can be poisonous to dogs at certain high levels it is not as toxic as you may have heard. 

Donot worry if your dog ate some garlic-flavored chicken or garlic sauce. Theres no reason to worry. How should you proceed? Keep reading to learn how to handle such a situation. 

Can a small amount of garlic kill a dog?

You must have heard over and over again how eating garlic can cause some serious harm to your pooch as a pet parent right? 

Whats curious is that if dogs eat table scraps and leftovers that contain garlic they remain perfectly fine and show no signs of poisoning. 

You may start wondering if garlic really is unhealthy for dogs if you have observed this with your pet. To clarify the confusion garlic is still toxic to dogs but only in very large quantities. It can be consumed in small quantities by dogs. Providing your dog with leftovers containing tiny pieces of garlic will have no adverse effects on them. 

As a result dogs cannot be killed by small amounts of garlic. It is still important to keep in mind that giving your dog garlic may cause some harm. Individual dogs metabolize garlic at different rates so some can handle garlic more effectively than others. A dog who eats more garlic than its body can handle will have serious health problems. 

How much garlic does it take to kill a dog?

Since garlic poisoning is dose-dependent the amount of garlic consumed and the size of your dog are determinants of potential poisoning. As a result you can safely assume that the more garlic a dog consumes per pound of body weight the more harm will result. Small dog breeds tend to be more affected by garlic because it takes smaller doses to poison them while medium and large dog breeds are more resilient to garlic poisoning. 

According to research on garlic toxicity a dog can be poisoned with 15 to 30 grams of garlic per kilogram of body weight. To understand this better lets consider the weight of a garlic clove. An average store-bought garlic clove weighs between 3 and 7 grams so a dog will have eaten a very large quantity to get sick (multiple bulbs of garlic). 

It is true that some dogs are more susceptible to garlic poisoning than others and such dogs may become ill even if they consume a far lesser amount than the toxic dose. 

It should also be noted that consistent consumption of garlic over an extended period of time may cause serious side effects. It is safer to keep garlic away from dogs or feed very small amounts sparingly to them since they cannot digest garlic as well as humans. 

There is some evidence to suggest that occasionally feeding your dog small amounts of garlic may benefit their health. The benefits of this herb include flushing the liver of toxins improving blood cholesterol levels and preventing ticks and fleas though there is no scientific evidence supporting these claims. 

As a final note ensure that you store garlic properly so that your dogs can not access it. You can poison your dog with garlic if they find your garlic stash and help themselves to a generous amount. 

How long after eating garlic will a dog get sick?

The symptoms of garlic poisoning begin to appear a few days after your dog eats garlic. Experiencing the negative effects of garlic poisoning can take anywhere from 24 hours to 5 days. A common first symptom is vomiting and diarrhea which will progress to anemia over time. 

Garlic toxicity is caused by thiosulfate which damages red blood cells by oxidative means causing hemolysis or hemolytic anemia. To put it simply the red blood cells are destroyed faster than they are produced. A lack of red blood cells means that the body will not be getting enough oxygen since these cells transport oxygen to every organ and tissue in the body. Symptoms of hemolytic anemia include pale gums and skin extreme weakness dizziness confusion dark-colored urine rapid heartbeats and loss of appetite. 

Garlic consumption by a dog will increase the concentration of thiosulfate in his or her body and the severity of those symptoms will increase. 

How long does garlic toxicity last in dogs?

Although garlic poisoning is a serious condition it is extremely rare for a healthy dog to die from it. Symptoms should begin to improve within 24 hours if your dog receives adequate and immediate veterinary care. You will need to provide continuous care for several days or weeks for your dog to fully recover. When your vet diagnoses the condition and administers the proper treatment your dog will no longer be in danger. When your dog only has symptoms of gastrointestinal distress such as diarrhea and vomiting they will recover much faster it will only take a few days. However if they already had anemia they will take several weeks to fully recover. 

Can dogs eat garlic bread?

Garlic bread probably contains only very small amounts of garlic that are well below the toxic level but should your dog eat garlic bread? In addition to garlic garlic bread also contains a significant amount of oil cheese butter and other ingredients that may cause digestive distress to your dog. This is especially important if you have a small dog with a sensitive stomach. 

Garlic bread has other ingredients that you should be concerned about besides garlic. Make sure your dog only gets a small amount of it if he must have some. Garlic bread isnot the healthiest or least harmful thing you can give to your dog and there is no real reason for you to feed it to her. 

Can dogs eat garlic chicken?

It is possible for your dog to consume some garlic chicken without experiencing any negative effects from garlic poisoning. It is not recommended to give your dog garlic-flavored chicken consistently. Chicken recipes for dogs should not contain potentially toxic ingredients such as garlic onions chives shallots and anything in the allium family. 

Whatever you do remember that too much garlic is not good for dogs so keep a close eye on the amount of this spice present in your dogs food. When in doubt you’re better off skipping it entirely.

What should I do if my dog has eaten garlic?

Taking your dog to the vet as soon as possible if you discover that he or she ate a lot of garlic or onions isnot a big deal. Your vet can use activated charcoal to remove the toxin from your dogs body if it has been 1 hour or less since the consumption. Charcoal absorbs thiosulfate from the dogs stomach and prevents any adverse effects. In contrast if it has been longer than two hours since the consumption of garlic then the sulfate compound may already be in the intestines or in the bloodstream. A blood transfusion or oxygen supplement may be necessary for this situation. A dog may also receive intravenous fluids to help stabilize them and keep them hydrated.

You should act as soon as possible if you are poisoned by garlic. Symptoms of a severe illness can take several days or even a week to manifest. You may however experience stomach upset sooner rather than later. A dogs reaction to garlic toxicity is rarely fatal but its always important to watch for any changes in his behavior. 

When your dog has eaten garlic or onions their breath is usually the first indication. In the event that your pets breath smells like garlic or onions you should definitely investigate the situation and contact your vet afterward to find out how much they consumed. 

Conclusion

Garlic in small amounts will not harm your dog but if you consume large quantities of about 15 to 30 kilograms per bodyweight of your dog it can cause serious health problems. Symptoms of garlic poisoning include hemolytic anemia which results in the destruction of large numbers of red blood cells causing weakness and paleness in the body. 

Hemolytic anemia will only occur if your dogs ingested a very large amount of garlic like perhaps they stumbled upon a small pile of garlic while exploring the house and decided to have a feast. Healthy dogs rarely die from garlic toxicity and only a visit to the veterinarian is required when they eat garlic.

If you want to read more about dog health tips read here: Dog Health Tips and Tricks.

How Much Garlic Can Kill A Dog? (Watch Video)