Question:and how specifically does it hurt them?
Answers:
Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.
Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.
At first, pets affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.
The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.
While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.
I haven't heard of it being toxic to dog in small amounts. I even read if given the proper amount it can be used as a insect deterrent. I know that garlic, especially in the raw, is toxic to cats though.
garlic contains thiosulphate which causes anemia in dogs. garlic is only poisonous to dogs in large amounts. the same toxin can be found in onions.
Garlic isn't toxic to dogs in small amounts - in fact it can be very beneficial if fed properly. In large amounts, however, it can be just as deadly as onions.
A little garlic is actually good for the dogs it keeps the fleas away but it will give them a little gas
Onions, garlic, and chives can cause gastrointestinal irritation and could lead to red blood cell damage. It is not recommended that you give dogs any of these. Other harmful foods include but are not limited to chocolate, coffee, caffeine, alcohol, avocados, macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, yeast dough, raw/undercooked meats, eggs, animal bones, and milk. All of these can cause some form of health problems and some can even result in death.
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