Is your dog accidentally ate onions? or are you looking for some human food to makes a treat for your furry baby? This strong taste and smell culinary favorite that you add to your salad or dish contain a toxin that can cause serious complications to dogs. Humans can eat onions, but they are not safe for dogs to eat.
Are onions bad for dogs?
Onions are one of the most dangerous human foods for dogs, they cannot safely eat this and all other members of the allium family (includes onions, garlic, leeks, scallions, chives, and shallots).
The onions contain a chemical called N-propyl disulfide, which is very toxic for dogs. The N-propyl disulfide is a compound that causes a breakdown of red blood cells, this toxin causes oxidative damage to your dog’s red blood cells by attaching to the oxygen molecules in your dog’s red blood cells. This will reduce the ability of the red blood cells to carry oxygen and also manipulate your dog’s body to think that the blood cell is an invader. The red blood cell will be destroyed in a process known as hemolysis, which will result in hemolytic anemia that can lead to a fatal condition.
Any form of onion–raw, cooked, dried, powdered, and leaves, etc. is dangerous to dogs.
Symptoms of onion toxicity in dogs
A large amount of ingesting onion of dog will show symptoms quickly but for those dogs who have eaten onions accidentally and got smaller amounts the symptoms of poisoning may not show up until a couple of days.
Signs your dog might be suffering from onion toxicity include:
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Decreased appetite
- Pale gums
- Vomiting
- Fainting
- Reddish urine
- Panting
- Elevated heart rate
Treating onion toxicity in dogs
The most important thing a fur parent should KNOW and DO is never ever feed your dog any kind and amount of onions to prevent onion poisoning to them, but if your dog accidentally eats onion and they show any of onion toxicity symptoms the very important thing you should do is immediately go to your veterinarian, it is very important to get an accurate diagnosis to ensure your dog gets the best care they need.
Your veterinarian will make some blood tests and may induce vomiting, depending on how recently your dog ate the onions and will offer supportive care until your dog’s body can produce enough healthy red blood cells to replace the damaged ones. For severe cases, your dog may require a blood transfusion.
Remember: Onions are not safe for dogs this is one of the most dangerous foods for them, you should not put any kind of onion to your dog food. In case of an accident and your dog ate some onion the faster you get your dog to the veterinarian, the better. Keep out all kinds of onion out of reach of your dog.
