Dogs are our favorite little friends, and they are known for trying to help clean up in the kitchen. When you see your furry friend sniffing around on the floor, you may be curious as to what they’re eating. Before you know it, they’ve scarfed up the piece of onion that fell off your counter and you’re freaking out.
Don’t worry, because we’re here to help you through the stressful next couple of minutes. In this article, we will be explaining the ins and outs of what happens when your dog eats onion.
Can Dogs Eat Onions?
In short, dogs can not eat onions. Onions are a root vegetable and come from the Allium family. Other veggies in this category are leeks, chives, and garlic.
All of these vegetables contain a chemical known as N-propyl Disulfide. This chemical is a sulfur compound, and that’s what makes it so toxic for animals.
Can Dogs Eat Raw Onions?
It is not recommended to feed your dogs raw onion, since it takes such a small amount of it to be toxic to our friends. Surprisingly, a fair amount of dog food brands actually include onion.
That is something you should look out for in brands. You would imagine that brands, knowing that onion can be dangerous for dogs, would not include it. Sadly this is not the case in a lot of brands.
It’s important to read the ingredients before buying.
Can Dogs Eat Cooked Onions?
Just like raw onions, dogs can not eat cooked onions. Preparing the onions in different ways does not reduce their toxicity level, but instead can actually increase it.
Powdered onions are more concentrated, and are more dangerous for your dogs. Onions in any form are bad for dogs, and should never be intentionally given to them.
Vegetables like onions can be harmful to red blood cells, and that’s why they should be avoided for dogs.
The onion attaches to your dog’s oxygen molecules, and that can attack your dog’s breathing centers. All parts of onion are bad for dogs, as well as all types of onion.
Is Onion Toxic to Dogs?
Onions are incredibly toxic for dogs. It only takes 0.5% of a dog’s body weight in onion for it to hurt our little friends. In another description, it takes 100 grams of onion per 20kg of weight to be harmful to your dog.
Why Can’t Dogs Eat Onions?
Dogs can’t eat onions for a number of reasons. Firstly, it takes such a small amount of onion to kill your dog that you should never intentionally feed them onion.
Another reason is that the toxicity from onions and other things can actually build up in your puppy’s system, causing a domino effect if they accidentally eat something.
Of course, the toxicity depends on how large your dog is and how much onion they ate.
A small bite for a dachshund is less detrimental than for a chihuahua. Some people who put their dogs on plant-based diets swear that onion can be healthy for them, but the good qualities in onions are very small compared to the negative qualities.
Can Dogs Eat Raw & Cooked Onions FAQ
What if My Dog Ate Onions?
If your dog has consumed a piece of onion, you may be on your phone googling every possible solution for your canine friend. Depending on how large the piece was, the next 1-4 hours can be very important to monitor.
If your dog has eaten a sizable amount, you may want to take them to the vet right away.
The veterinarian can run rapid tests and do procedures that could stop your dog from experiencing negative connotations to the accident.
In an aggressive case, a blood transfusion or extensive surgical procedures may be required to stop the toxicity in your dog’s bloodstream.
Luckily, because onion is such a regular food in most households, the vet community is fairly familiar with these cases.
Will a Tiny Piece of Onion Hurt a Dog?
Any piece of onion can hurt your dog, and you should never intentionally feed them onion. Even mixed with other foods, it does not lower the toxicity level in onions.
If you are worried that your dog has eaten onion, you should look out for these symptoms:
- Lethargy
- Lack of appetite
- Pale gums
- Diarrhea
- ataxia(loss of coordination)
- Discolored urine
- Increased heart rate
- Panting
- Vomiting
If your dog is experiencing any of these symptoms, you should take them to see a vet as soon as possible to stop the potential toxins coursing in their system.
Can Onions Kill Dogs?
Any root vegetable in large amounts can harm your dog. If you are worried about your dog’s health or notice any of the symptoms above in your canine, your should take your dog to the vet.
A veterinarian is always a better option than looking on the web since they can run rapid testing on our little friends to find the root cause of the issue and take the necessary steps to fix it.
If you can not afford to see a veterinarian, there are certain things you can do from home.
Aside from monitoring the dog, you can also induce vomiting with your hand or with at-home remedies such as activated charcoal.
This can be used to stop the dog’s body from absorbing the onion’s toxins and preventing further problems.
Final Words About Can Dogs Eat Raw & Cooked Onions
In all cases, if your dog has eaten a piece of onion, you should be looking out for, and monitor them over the next few hours to make sure everything is alright.
In most cases, taking the right action sooner than later can save our little friends and have them right as rain in the next few days.
If you think your dog has eaten an onion, it may be better to call or visit an emergency pet hospital or your local vet than to wait.
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