Question:
Regarding your advice on onions and garlic for dogs (garlic and yeast for pests):My mixed-breed dog became incontinent about the age of four years. She had always eaten primarily dog food, but owning an Italian restaurant, we somehow began giving her a meatball twice a week or so. When she became incontinent the vet gave her medication. After a couple of days on the pills I looked into the dog's eyes and said, "This doesn't look right." So I took her off of the pills and decided I was doomed to a life of rubber sheets and bottles of enzyme cleaners.Then I read an article in Prevention magazine about onions affecting a dog's kidneys and being poisonous to dogs. I immediately stopped the meatball snacks and the problem cleared up about 95 percent within a few days. However, she still bit her back in the area where I assume her kidneys are located.Finally, it dawned on me that onions are lilies; and garlic is also a lily. So I began reading her dog food package labels and found that garlic was a "flavoring" (an
L.A., Fowler, CA Aug 21, 2005
Answer:
I always appreciate letters from readers who, like you, have put their minds to work and conducted a sound, clinical investigation that did not put their animals at risk and, through the power of reason, found a way to make their animals well.You are right -- your dog was hypersensitive to onions and garlic, and other dogs may have this problem, too. Some breeds may be especially harmed. Onions can aggravate high cholesterol levels in dogs with hypothyroid disease and cause anemia. Onions are not for dogs, but most dogs tolerate a little garlic and eggs (although one of mine is hypersensitive to eggs).
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