Can Dogs Eat Onions? (Poison for your Doggo?)

As Smart Dog Owners have a love-hate relationship with onions. People who love onions can eat them in almost anything, while those who hate them would rather go hungry than eat a dish with onions.

You want to protect your dog against onion poisoning. The onion should not be a part of dog food. If you’re on the side of hating onions, then pretend your dog hates them, too, because dogs should never eat onions.

Can Dogs Eat Onions? Things you need to know!

No, dogs should never eat raw onion under any circumstance. Whether they’re cooked, pureed, or dehydrated into powder form, they’re all toxic. Onion powder and garlic are more dangerous than raw onion for dogs.

Why are onions toxic to dogs and not humans? Onions have a substance called thiosulfate. This substance requires a specific enzyme to break it down, and dogs don’t have that enzyme. When a dog eats onion, it can lead to irreversible damage to the liver.

N Propyl Disulfide in onions can account for onion poisoning in dogs. Onions are actually more toxic than chocolate, the holy grail of dog dangers.

This food belongs to the Allium family, along with garlic, shallots, and leeks. These foods create a condition known as hemolytic anemia in dogs. Garlic can also cause hemolytic anemia in dogs.

can dogs eat onions

Members of the Allium family, such as garlic and onion, cause the red blood cells to rupture. Red blood cell is an integral part of oxygenation, so when these cells are damaged, the dog experiences difficulty breathing. Feeding your dog onion is a bad idea.

Most people have a love-hate relationship with onions. People who love onions can eat them in almost anything, while those who hate them would rather go hungry than eat a dish with onions.

You want to protect your dog against onion poisoning. The onion should not be a part of dog food. If you’re on the side of hating onions, then pretend your dog hates them, too, because dogs should never eat onions.

Onions and Heinz Body Anemia

Can Dogs Eat Onions? (Poison for your Doggo?)

Hemolytic anemia is also known as Heinz Body Anemia. Hemolytic anemia results in red blood cell destruction. Toxins in onion and garlic attach themselves to the oxygen molecule in the red blood cell. Red blood cell contains hemoglobin which transports oxygen.

Heinz bodies formation in erythrocytes limits oxygen transportation. Heinz bodies can be detected through a blood test. Onion poisoning can cause a significant drop in the red blood cell count of your dog. Onion and garlic inhibit the ability of a red blood cell to carry oxygen.

Can Dogs Eat Cooked Onions?

No, do not even think about adding a cooked onion to dog food. Cooked onion is toxic to dogs. Cooked onion is just as dangerous to dogs as raw onion.

What human foods can dogs eat? Find out here!

Onion ring, as a form of cooked onion, is not safe for dogs. Cooked onions and garlic can be dangerous for dogs. Cooked onions, like fresh onions, are bad for dogs.

Signs of Onion Toxicity in Dogs

CAN DOGS EAT ONIONS
Onion Toxicity

The initial onion toxicity symptoms are relatively mild. At first, the dog will just have vomiting and diarrhea, but as the toxicity progresses, the symptoms worsen.

As more red blood cells are destroyed, more signs appear. Lethargy appears quickly due to decreased oxygenation. When they exercise, their stamina will significantly decrease from what’s normal.

Their gums, which should be bubblegum pink, may turn a pale white or bluish color. When they urinate, their urine might be dark red due to elimination of dead red blood cells. Left untreated, severe anemia is fatal.

If you smell garlic or onion on your dog’s breath, you should immediately consult the nearest vet.

How Are Dogs Treated for Onion Toxicity?

Vets treat onion toxicity based on the information they receive from dog owners and the symptoms of onion toxicity they observe in dogs. In case of dogs accidentally ate onions, vets will want to know about a few things:

When did dogs eat onion and how much onion do they eat? Onion consumption by your dog affects its treatment. Based on the information they receive, vets decide whether to induce vomiting or not.

If you immediately take your dog to the nearest vet, your vet may induce vomiting. Vomiting helps remove toxic onion from your dog’s body.

Onion ingestion in dogs is a bad omen. In severe cases, where dogs’ red blood cells drop to dangerous levels, dogs may undergo a blood transfusion.

If onion toxicity is left untreated, it will damage the liver. Liver damage is irreversible, so if your dog winds up with a damaged liver, it will likely progress as they age.

Can Dogs Eat Onions? (Poison for your Doggo?)

Onion toxicity can kill your dog, so if you think your dog has consumed onion in any form, then it’s imperative you take your dog to the vet immediately. Onion poisoning is a serious issue.

The sooner you seek treatment, the more likely it is your dog will recover unscathed. Some dogs, such as Shiba Inu, are more prone to onion toxicity than others. A small amount of onion can hurt Shiba Inu more than other dogs.

Don’t ever wait for symptoms to appear before you seek veterinary care. Many dogs don’t show symptoms for days. Waiting too long allows the toxicity to progress quite a bit, making it more difficult to recover dog health.

When you see your dog eat an onion, call your veterinarian or the Pet Poison Helpline for an immediate action plan. The longer you wait, the longer it will take your dog to recover-if they do at all.

Can dogs eat onions? Take These Precautions:

Onions are in a lot of packaged foods. From chips to crackers to soups, onions and garlic are tucked into a lot of things because it makes them taste good.

While this is fine for you, this can be lethal to your dog if you have a habit of sneaking human food to them. Before you give your dog a human snack, you should know exactly what’s in it.

Most people don’t know that onions are the most potent in their powdered form, so double-check your labels for onion, salt, and garlic powder. You should keep baby food containing onion powder away from your dog.

Eating parts of the onion plant can cause onion toxicosis in dogs. You should not wait to see the toxic effect of feeding parts of the onion plant to dogs. Do not expect your dog to exhibit an allergic reaction to onions, do not feed onions to dogs.

Conclusion – Can dogs Eat Onions

Can Dogs Eat Onions? (Poison for your Doggo?)

Don’t let a smelly little vegetable be the reason why your dog gets seriously ill. The best rule of thumb is to only feed your dog their regular food to avoid problems like this.

The more food you introduce to them, the more chances you have of accidentally giving them something dangerous.

If you ever see your dog eating onion, you should immediately try to save him. Smart Dog Owners do not let their dogs eat onions.

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Jackob Evans

Hi, I’m Jacob. I’ve been a professional blogger for over six years, and in that time, I’ve written countless blogs that have helped millions of people worldwide. A DVM by profession, I have treated and cured thousands of dogs, if not millions.

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