Can dogs have garlic: the benefits and harms of garlic for a pet

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The dog is a predator that mainly eats meat products. However, despite this, many veterinarians recommend that animal owners also include plant foods in the diet of four-legged animals. It contains the largest amount of minerals, vitamins and other useful substances that are necessary for the full formation of the body. Also, such components are needed for the prevention of diseases.

Many people call garlic a natural antibiotic and treat it with a variety of pathologies. It is widely used in folk medicine. In fact, garlic is extremely useful for humans. But what if it's an animal? Can dogs eat garlic?

General information

Garlic is often recommended for animals in order to get rid of worms, as well as to strengthen the general condition of the body. However, not all so simple. Speaking about whether it is possible to give garlic to dogs, many experts fundamentally disagree with its use. Moreover, they refer garlic to the so-called forbidden foods, which are not recommended to treat.dogs. It also includes spices and spicy foods. By and large, garlic can be included in this category.

Veterinarians believe that frequent use of this product can lead to serious digestive problems. So how do you know if dogs can eat garlic?

Useful properties of garlic

With the periodic use of this product, you can saturate the body with a special substance called allicin. It is responsible for blocking enzymes that contribute to the rapid penetration of various viruses into the body. In addition, protein is present in the composition of spicy plants. Everyone knows that it has a positive effect on the state of the immune system, and also allows you to better control the process of producing antibodies, which in the future will resist all kinds of viruses and infectious diseases.

Also, garlic contains phytoncides. They allow you to neutralize and destroy many pathogenic microorganisms. For example, it is a very effective remedy against yeast fungi, staphylococcus diphtheria bacillus and much more. Garlic also helps to get rid of plaques that can form in the blood.

From all these troubles, not only a person suffers, but also an animal. However, we cannot compare our body with the body of a four-legged pet.

Harm of garlic

First of all, the spicy plant stimulates the appetite quite seriously. Therefore, if you use his meal time, then this leads to the fact that as a person,so the animal begins to eat much more. There is a risk of gaining extra pounds. Also, garlic is strictly forbidden to use in various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.

If the owner of the animal does not know about the state of he alth of the pet, then, of course, you should not allow the dog to eat garlic. So you can provoke very serious problems with the intestines and other organs. In addition, this plant can very seriously irritate the mucous membranes. Therefore, even a person is recommended to eat it in very small quantities.

It is also important that garlic contains a large amount of toxic substances. They can adversely affect the functioning of the liver and kidneys. There are studies that prove that garlic can negatively affect the brain and nervous system.

However, in some situations, there is a choice between potent medicines and a natural remedy. For example, it is believed that garlic for worms in dogs is a more gentle remedy than drugs prescribed by a doctor. In this situation, the use of traditional medicine is really allowed. However, in this case, you need to clearly dose such a remedy.

Does garlic help with deworming dogs?

Yes, such a tool is really quite effective. If we are talking about a small breed of dog, then in this case it can be given no more than half a small clove of garlic. Repeat the procedure is allowed no more than once every three to four days. Throughfor some time the body will be completely cleansed of parasites.

If the animal is quite large, then it can be given up to 3 cloves of garlic per day. However, it all depends on the exact size and weight of the pets. Despite the fact that garlic is a very effective antiparasitic agent, experienced experts still recommend being more careful and giving preference to drugs prescribed by a doctor. The fact is that pharmaceutical products have a wider spectrum of action. Therefore, they guarantee the elimination of parasites.

It is important to note that as soon as the animal is completely free of parasites, it is necessary to completely eliminate garlic from the diet. If you really want to, then you can very rarely give it in the smallest amounts as a small nutritional supplement.

Why rub garlic on animal hair

Some dog owners use garlic for such purposes. In this case, there are no special restrictions. Toxins will not be able to enter the body or have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa. Wool and skin are rubbed with garlic so that the animal does not suffer from ticks and fleas.

However, in this case, you need to be extremely careful. If the pet's skin is already damaged, then garlic can provoke severe itching, pain and irritation. In addition, the smell of garlic will not fade for a long time.

Contraindications

If we are talking about an adult dog, then for her garlicnot as dangerous provided it is given in small amounts. But he can cause irreparable harm to a puppy. This is especially true for very young babies, from 28 weeks. If during this period the dog eats garlic, then there is a high risk that it may even die.

The fact is that garlic can provoke qualitative changes in the blood. The same goes for pregnant and lactating dogs. They should never be given garlic. In addition, it will not only not bring benefits, but will also put additional stress on the weakened mother's body.

When considering the question of whether garlic can be given to dogs, it is worth paying attention that it should not be given to older animals either. An older dog may even suffer a heart attack.

There is another situation in which garlic should never be given. If the pet has to undergo surgery soon, then the use of this plant may adversely affect blood pressure, which will decrease. This will cause problems during the procedure.

Also, speaking about why dogs shouldn't have garlic, you should pay attention to the fact that experts say that the effectiveness of this folk remedy has not been proven when it comes to pets. Therefore, it is worth being extremely careful and not exceeding the indicated norms, but it is better to completely abandon the idea of giving such plants to four-legged pets. If you mindlessly feed an animal with garlic, then it may even become poisoned.

How to help an animalwith garlic poisoning

Pet owners can't always keep track of them. The dog could well eat garlic on its own. In this case, you need to take all measures to help the animal. First of all, you must immediately rinse the stomach and give the dog plenty of warm water to drink. You also need to use a sorbent to neutralize the toxins that have already entered the stomach.

If serious signs of intoxication still appear after this (eg vomiting and diarrhea), then ascorbic acid can be given to the animal. After 6-8 hours, the procedure is repeated. If the poisoning is too strong, and after all these manipulations, the intoxication does not recede, then it is urgent to take the animal to the veterinarian. If too much garlic enters the body, this can lead to serious pathological processes.

In closing

Having figured out if dogs can garlic, it becomes obvious that it is better to avoid it if we are talking about a pet. You can give it only for the treatment of worms. In other situations, it is worth choosing other means.