1. Contact your veterinarian immediately.
  2. Your veterinarian may instruct you to induce vomiting, however, do not induce vomiting unless instructed to.
  3. If possible, provide packaging for any garlic-containing medications or garlic powder ingested by your pet, or the recipe of Allium spp containing foods to your veterinarian so that the dose received can be estimated.

OTHER NAMES

Genus Allium, family Liliaceae: true onion, wild onion, shallot, green onion, leek.

TOXICITY

MODERATE

Depends on the dose ingested. This is easily achieved in a small dog or cat fed a single garlic capsule.

CLINICAL SIGNS

Clinical signs occur in 12 hours to five days post ingestion.

  • Garlic-smelling breath
  • Pale (anaemic) or yellow tinged (jaundice) mucous membranes
  • Weakness
  • Fatigue/lethargy
  • Depression
  • Rapid breathing (tachypnoea)
  • Salivation
  • Vomiting
  • Inappetence
  • Diarrhoea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Collapse

EFFECTS OF TOXICITY

Causes oxidative damage to red blood cells, leading to anaemia.

TREATMENT

Activated charcoal may be required to bind any remaining compounds in the gastrointestinal tract. Severely affected animals may require intravenous fluids, oxygen and even a blood transfusion. Monitoring of red blood cell levels is important to determine if anaemia is worsening or resolving.

REFERENCES

www.aspcapro.org(1)

aspcapro.org(2)

www.aspca.org

BSAVA (2012) BSAVA/VPIS Guide to Common Canine and Feline Poisons. Gloucester: BSAVA.

Bough M (2011) Food-Associated Intoxications. In: Small Animal Toxicology Essentials ed. RH Poppenga and SM Gwaltney-Brant. London: Wiley-Blackwell. Pp207-208.

Cope RB (2005) Allium species poisoning in dogs and cats. Veterinary Medicine 562-566.