Warning: Onions Are Toxic to Dogs

Dogs have short life spans thus pet owner would want to keep the pet healthy to lengthen the years the dog will be with the family. Aside from nutritious foods, the dog will have vitamins and supplements. Home cooked meals in addition to nutrient-rich commercial dog foods will be given to the pet. However, an owner’s act of kindness of giving the pet human foods can have dangerous effect on the pet. Not all human-safe foods would be safe for the pet as well. Onion is one of the people foods that have toxic effect on dogs.

Onion in any form – raw, cooked or powdered and mixed with other foods would have harmful effects on the dog. The thiosuphate found in this pungent cooking ingredient is poisonous to dogs. Dogs do not have the enzyme necessary to digest onions thus these human-safe foods become poisonous to dogs.

Severity of poisoning will depend on the amount of onion consumed by the dog. Dogs are voracious eaters and a big bowl of onion rings would be too tempting for the pet to resist. The dog will suffer from the fatal effects of onions if significant amounts was consumed in one meal. If the pet eats small amounts of dishes containing onions regularly, it would take a few days before toxicity symptoms will be seen.

Liver damage and allergic reaction can occur in dogs that eat onions. The dog will vomit and have diarrhea. Some dogs can have asthma attacks. Onion consumption can result to a dangerous health concern known as hemolytic anemia. This condition that is also known as Heinz body anemia can have a fatal effect on dogs as it affects hemoglobin. Hemoglobin in the red blood cells is responsible for distributing oxygen from the lungs to the different cells in the body.

As thiosulphate in the onions ingested by the dog is not metabolized, the substance would have the dangerous effect of oxidizing hemoglobin. This substance will cause bubble-like clumps to form in the red blood cells. These clumps known as Heinz bodies will stick out and eventually rupture causing the premature destruction of the red blood cells. Damaged red blood cells are repaired by the bone marrow but the bone marrow cannot cope if there is mass destruction of the red blood cells. The destruction of the red blood cells will result to the insufficient supply of oxygen so that the functions of the vital organs are affected.

Dogs are not picky eaters thus it would not be necessary for the pet owner to enhance the taste of the dog’s food with onions. Even without onion to enhance the taste of the food, a dog will still eat with gusto.

While you now have some knowledge about onion toxicity in dogs. There is still much to learn about dogs and onions. Not only that, but how about dogs and bananas, popcorn, nuts, garlic, ham or honey? Find out more about foods toxic to dogs at Sarah’s Dogs?