Technology can be a dangerous thing. For
example, we’ve
had a couple of people call and say that they read on the internet
that garlic is harmful to pets. Garlic? Harmful to pets? Are
we talking about the same garlic that’s been used by
holistic vets for decades as a natural flea treatment and antioxident?
Okay, we admit – garlic can be harmful to pets, and people
for that matter. Then again, so can water. Allow us to explain.
Garlic (Allium sativum) has been used for thousands of years
for medicinal purposes. Sanskrit records show its medicinal
use about 5,000 years ago, and it has been used for at least
3,000 years in Chinese medicine. The Egyptians, Babylonians,
Greeks, and Romans were known to have harnessed the healing
properties of garlic as well. According to the Whole Dog Journal,
small amounts of garlic not only act as a natural flea repellant,
but garlic can be used for its wonderful antifungal and antibacterial
properties. It also promotes the production of white blood
cells thereby acting as an immune booster for dogs with low
or compromised immunity and may benefit dogs with diabetes
by helping reduce blood-sugar levels.
What makes garlic so great for dog
health problems? Allicin
appears to be the active component in the root bulb (cloves)
of the
garlic
plant
which
trigger its healing properties. Allicin is formed when alliin,
a sulfur-containing amino acid, comes into contact with the
enzyme alliinase when raw garlic is chopped, crushed, or chewed.
Heating garlic will lessen the medicinal capabilities, but
naturally dehydrating it won’t. That is to say the garlic
used in a nutritional supplement, or garlic found in one of
our pet food mixes is simply raw garlic that has been crushed
and dehydrated.
Despite its healing qualities, Garlic contains a compound named
thiosulphate. In extremely high levels thiosulphate can be
a dangerous toxin that cause hemolytic anemia in dogs. But
we’re not talking about garlic dog treats, supplemental
garlic, or healthy table scraps that may have included fresh
garlic in the recipe. We’re talking about situations
where your pet sniffs out several bulbs of garlic you were
about to use for a giant batch of homemade spaghetti sauce
for the whole neighborhood and winds up eating 50 cloves in
one sitting. We repeat . . . it would take up to 50 cloves
for garlic to be harmful to your dog! 50 cloves of garlic wouldn’t
be a good idea for anyone, let alone your dog. In the event
that your dog did get into a basket of garlic cloves, the symptoms
of hemolytic anemia can develop within a few hours or a few
days. Signs include vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, depression,
and loss of appetite. If you see these symptoms in your pet
and you're missing a lot of cloves of garlic, call your vet.
The bottom line there is that dogs and cats can get into many
things around the house that are toxic if consumed in large
quantities. But, when used in moderation, garlic can be a healthy
supplement. According to Charlie Fox, the co-author of The
Garlic Cure (McCleery & Sons, 2002), garlic can be used
to stimulate and support immune function, trigger gastric juices
for better digestion, encourage the growth of friendly bacteria,
and prevent infections. He’s seen garlic reduce the risk
of cardiovascular disease and cancer as well as improve blood
sugar regulation and promote detoxification.
Sojourner Farms has a few natural dog
food products
that contain garlic – Monzie’s
Organic Müesli for Dogs, Europa
Grain-Free Dog Food Mix,
Monzie’s Organic Cookies
for Dogs, Sojos
all natural dog treats.
We feel good adding garlic to these products because of the
natural
health benefits (and taste benefits!) and we can assure you
garlic is not being added to our homemade
dog food in toxic
amounts. We list our ingredients in order from highest quantity
to lowest
so you can tell when you see garlic near the end, it’s
being added in moderation to take advantage of its healing
properties – while still being far lower than toxic levels.
For more information on our natural dog food and natural dog
treats, with or without garlic, please visit us online at http://www.sojos.com
or call
us toll
free at 888-867-6567.
Back
to Top
Copyright ® 2006
Sojourner Farms. All rights reserved.
