So, I read somewhere that there was a camping hack wherein you could bring a small net bag and a few cloves of garlic for your tent, and simply crush the garlic cloves and hang the bag from the center of the tent, and it acted like a natural insect repellent. No mosquitos, no gnats, no flies. And this got me thinking – what other insects might garlic repel?
Being a dog owner, and having seen treats that contain garlic, and having heard stories from older generations about "garlic was never toxic to dogs in my day", I did some digging.
Turns out, garlic isn't actually toxic for dogs, according to several articles (linked below). Not only does it promote healthy blood, it may actually deter cancer. But more importantly, it can reduce the chances of worms, and even repel fleas and ticks.
So why is the internet flooded with stories and articles about garlic toxicity in dogs? Here's my take – veterinary medicine. As we all know, pharmaceuticals are a major industry. Pets and vets are a growing industry – people spend more on pets today than parents spent on children just 3 generations ago. But much like Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine, garlic was a threat to this major money industry. According to what I found, a study in Japan in 2000 in which dogs were fed relatively high amounts of garlic, resulting in blood toxicity, the myth of garlic killing dogs began. So despite a follow-up study done in 2004 that showed garlic in moderation actually provided numerous benefits to our canine companions, garlic was forever marked as a poison for pets, and people ate it up, pardon the pun.
So, what are your thoughts? Was garlic wrongly vilified to ensure a healthy profit margin in a growing industry? Has garlic changed in the past 30 years where it wasn't toxic before but now is? Have breeders changed how garlic ingestion affects canine digestive and circulatory systems? Or were pet owners in the 80's and 90's just lucky?
https://www.northpointpets.com/debunkingthemythsoffeedinggarlictoyourdog/
Posted by lazerblade01
6 Comments
SS: Pet health and garlic – it seems as though all major veterinary and pet medicine websites are on the same page, but is it due to kickbacks, NDAs, or funding? Are they “following the science”, or are they just covering their asses?
Have you tried to feed your dog raw garlic cloves?
I’d be willing to try garlic in my dogs food, if it overpowered their ‘dog breath’. 🙂
I think like most things that are “toxic” to dogs, it’s all about amount ingested relative to their size. A 100 lb cane corso eating some Reese’s cups is going to react different than a 5 lb chihuahua. I’ve asked ChatGPT in the past while cooking if garlic is bad for my dog and it basically said the same thing, it didn’t discourage me from giving it a moderate amount.
My dear old dad would mix garlic powder in his cat’s food to ward off fleas and parasites. They never got sick.
Garlic