Garlic for Dogs

Garlic is known to be an excellent home remedy for humans since it treats several different disorders. Garlic extracts, which act as powerful antioxidants in our bodies, are also extremely beneficial for dogs. In fact garlic for dogs is considered to be an excellent remedy against ticks and other parasites.

Is Garlic Safe For Dogs?

For thousands of years, garlic has been used in traditional medicine. Even the most ancient of civilizations were aware of the medicinal properties of garlic. When a dog is given even small amounts of garlic, it can help treat flea problems naturally. In fact, by consuming garlic, the dog can repel fleas on its own. Along with this, garlic also has strong antibacterial and antifungal properties. With the help of garlic, the production of white blood cells also increases in the body, thus increasing the immunity. Garlic is especially beneficial to dogs that have a compromised immunity because of any recent illnesses. Dogs that have diabetes can also greatly benefit from garlic. The chemical properties of garlic help naturally reduce sugar levels in the blood. Since it is an antioxidant, garlic can also help the body get rid of free radicals which are carcinogenic.

The healing properties of garlic come from an active component named allicin. Allicin gets destroyed on cooking and therefore the medicinal capacity of garlic greatly reduces when it is cooked. Naturally dehydrating garlic in the sun allows maximum preservation of allicin and is therefore the ideal method of processing garlic. To ensure that your pet gets a healthy dose of garlic, simply crush some dehydrated garlic and add it to your pet’s food.

Garlic also contains another compound named thiosulphate, which can be a dangerous toxin if consumed in large quantities. In dogs, large quantities of thiosulphate are known to cause a condition known as hemolytic anemia. However, large quantities means that the garlic will only be harmful to the dog if the dog ends up eating about 50 to 60 cloves of garlic in a single sitting. Still, if at all the dog ends up eating such large quantities of garlic, there will be symptoms like diarrhea, depression, vomiting, weakness, and general loss of appetite. If you see your dog experiencing such symptoms, you can take the dog to a vet immediately, who will induce vomiting and clean the dog’s system of any traces of thiosulphate.

Apart from any accidental gorging on garlic cloves, garlic remains a perfectly safe and healthy supplement for your dog.