[Susan J]

Hi everyone –
you all don’t know me, i rarely post, but I read everything. Like Mike Sagman, i lost a dog to commercial dog food poisoning in 2007. I am also a scientist. So I have been absolutely obsessed with monitoring and choosing the best food for my gang that works for us. Recently, i wanted to reduce the amount of kibble that my dogs eat, and decided to put a dehydrated food in the rotation. We started out slow, and all three of my small dogs initially did quite well. We used it successfully in a monthly rotation twice. For the third rotation, after two months of other food, they were rotated back onto this food. WIthin 4 days everyone was sick.
One of my dogs happened to get bloodwork done and was found to be noticeably anemic. His hematocrit was down to 27 from a previous value of 48. I had the bloodwork repeated in 2 weeks of being off the food, and it is returning to normal (up to 36). The vets that saw my little guy and I have all been at a loss to explain the blood work. I have great vets that do understand good pet food and don’t push Science diet etc. But i have to say that the garlic in this food (it is very noticeable, so it is not in minute quantities) is right now the number one theory as to what caused him to go anemic amongst my vets.
This is a great dog food company, and I don’t want to name them and shame them. That is not what I intend. But i always poo-pooed the idea of a small amount of garlic as being harmful, it is in a lot of the better brands, and hey, I’m italian! What I do want to say is this: if you feed a food to your dog that contains garlic, pay attention. Check their gums, and at the first sign that something is not right, better safe than sorry – pull them off the food. Small amounts of garlic may be fine for some dogs, but some may have big issues with it. Don’t take the idea lightly, and be proactive. Just, be careful! No more garlic for us!

[USA]

Hi Susan

I totally agree with garlic, onions, etc being harmful to dogs even in small amounts.

/forums/topic/garlic-onions-leeks/#post-48523

[2nd2none]

sorry about the trouble you had, but it’s as you say, every dog is different and what works for one, often times may not work for another. there’s always that argument: the debate on garlic…. thing is, garlic, in and of itself has only a small amount of thiosulphate in it, therefore a dog would have to consume a LOT of garlic to cause such an adverse affect: anemia, damage to their liver, etc. no doubt checking CRT is essential if you’re at all concerned. (color should return to gums in 2-3 seconds when you push on them).
as with ALL things in life moderation is key. ANY thing given in excessive amounts can cause harm/damage. i’ve read dogs at 50 lbs can *safely be given 2 cloves a day so, go figure…..
all’s i can say is, as stated, if you notice a reaction, simple: stop giving it. but it’s been given for many many years, safely, so, your call….

[Author]

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