Posts Tagged ‘thiosulfate poisoning’
Garlic and Onion Toxicity in Dogs
November 5th, 2009
Onions will kill your dog. Or more specifically, onions will kill the hemoglobin in your dog’s red blood cells. The component that is actually responsible for this massacre is the thiolsulfate ion in onions and garlic.
Thiolsulfate causes heinz bodies to develop on hemoglobin. A heinz body is basically a “bubble” on the hemoglobin. These hemoglobin become denatured and kind of fall apart causing these cells to die prematurely after which they are removed from the body. The death of red blood cells eventually leads to hemolytic anemia. Blood cell death. This anemia is caused by simply not having the proper volume of red blood cells in the body as opposed to something like sickle cell which is a problem with cell shape.
In humans, hemolytic anemia can be caused by malaria. And theoretically, it could be caused by eating too much onions too! Although, that’s pretty unlikely and you would smell A LOT before then.
Onions contain more thiolsulfate than garlic and are proportionally more dangerous to animals. Cats are highly susceptible to hemolytic anemia compared to dogs and any small amount of onions or garlic may cause serious symptoms.
If a dog eats a significant portion of onion, induce vomiting and take the dog to the vet. One small piece of onion from a pizza will probably be okay but if doggy eats a hunk of onion or a whole one this is definitely an emergency. The vet may have to pump the dog’s stomach to get rid of the remaining thiolsulfate. And if the dog is anemic, it could require a blood transfusion.
Onion and Garlic toxicity can also be caused over time. If a dog or cat eats a small amount of onion every day, this can add up to a high level of toxicity and become symptomatic. Avoid regularly feeding dogs any type of onion product, whether cooked, raw, or in a powdered form.
Symptoms
Symptoms of hemolytic anemia are lethargy, pale or gray gums, reddish urine from excreted blood cells, rapid heart beat, and rapid breathing. The gums of healthy dogs should be a hearty bubble gum pink. This would be a tell-tale sign that the dog is having circulatory problems. An episode of onion toxicity may take several days to cycle. Do not wait this long to seek out medical help.
Treatment
It slightly saddens me that we would need to treat this type of poisoning in our beloved pets. The easiest way to “treat” onion toxicity is to prevent it. Do not allow dogs to eat foods containing onions or excessive garlic– ever. I cannot stress the importance of being careful with storage of onions and also with the method of disposal. Don’t just throw it in the trash where the dog can get it! This is a costly and dangerous type of disease for dogs and it isn’t worth it to allow toxicity to occur and then treat it when it can be completely prevented.
However, if by some accident doggy does eat too much thiolsulfate, a vet visit will be necessary. At the first signs of pale gums, lethargy and reddish urine, contact the vet. The dog may require various medications to help counter act toxicity as well as a stomach pump and administration of activated charcoal. If the dog does not have enough blood to keep functioning, it will need a blood transfusion. After the acute attack occurs, the dog will need to regenerate the lost blood cells and avoid any additional onions/garlic.
Some people use garlic as a health supplement in dogs and cats. Small amounts of garlic can be beneficial but still use plenty of caution in choosing quantity and frequency. But never feed your pet onions!
