I found out why "they" say you should not give your dog onions to eat

[chrisesq]

My 2 y.o. Rottie got a hold of an onion from the kitchen counter earlier tonight. And now I am suffering for it. She's been ripping off some really stinky (some of them loud too) ones about every 3-5 minutes for about 4 hours now.

[REP]

1. No; Because It Induces Anemia

Worse than gas. Depending upon how much she ate, you may want to take her to a vet.

http://www.vetcentric.com/reference/displayFAQ.cfm?ARTICLE=Why%20are%20onions%20dangerous%20for%20dogs%20and%20cats?

Why are onions dangerous for dogs and cats?Is it true that they can cause red urine and kidney failure?

A deadly vegetable.


Whether fresh, cooked, or dehydrated, onions can be very toxic to all dogs and cats.

The active ingredient in onions is allyl propyl disulfide, a component of onion oil. This substance damages red blood cells, or RBCs.

Feeding your dog or cat onions can cause a condition called Heinz body anemia. Heinz bodies are small, round projections that extend out from the red blood cells. These projections are accumulations of damaged hemoglobin molecules. Allyl propyl disulfide irreversibly breaks down hemoglobin and permanently damages the RBCs. The oxidative effects of onion oil also damage the cells’ surrounding membrane, further weakening the red blood cells. The body responds by destroying the damaged cells. As the number of red blood cells circulating in the body falls, Heinz body anemia results.

Anemia alone can have serious consequences. Clinical signs include pale mucus membranes, depression, increased heart and respiratory rate, weakness, fever, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

Hemoglobin from the destroyed red blood cells may appear in the urine, imparting a reddish-brown color. The loss of hemoglobin into the bloodstream, which is then filtered by the kidneys, can cause severe kidney damage, leading to kidney failure.



A veterinarian should immediately see any dog or cat that has eaten onions. In addition, dog and cat owners should read all food labels prior to feeding; even some baby foods contain onion salt.

[chrisesq]

2. She got about the first 2 layers of a fairly large onion.

Think that's enough to cause the damage? She's sleeping right now and does not seem to be adversely affected at the present time (aside from the aforementioned problem)

[REP]

4. Call Your Vet

I"ve never given an animals onions, so I don't know how much it takes. According to the article I posted for you, it may not take much at all.

[chrisesq]

5. Thanks for the advice.

I'll take her to the vet. She opens up at 6 a.m. Less than 2 hrs.

[leftofthedial]

3. like their breath isn't bad enough without onions!

plus the farts!

I love my dog.

Somewhere there is a group of dogs discussing why it is such a bad idea for humans to eat onions.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. Another Farting Rottweiler

This one rips off some really stinky ones every day or so:

Idiotarian Rottweiler



--bkl

[Atlant]

7. Here's one web site that sounds reasonable (and not panicked)

http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dtoxin.html#Onion%20and%20Garlic%20toxicity%20%20in%20dogs%20and%20cats

Onion and Garlic toxicity  in dogs and cats

 Question: Dr. Richard's,
  Thank you for your help with past questions and creating this web site.
  I have a question about onions and dogs. I read somewhere onions are
  poisonous for dogs yet onions are often ingredients in dog treats. Is it just
  raw onions that are so dangerous? What about meat that has been cooked with
  onions is this dangerous?
  What are some things that are toxic for dogs besides chocolate and onions?
  Also I own several cats are there foods toxic to them as well?

  Kim
 

Answer:  Kim-

Dogs develop hemolytic anemia if they eat enough onions. I don't think that it matters too much
whether the onions are cooked or not. The quantity of onions required is high enough that dogs
can generally tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of
onion without clinically apparent disease, even though there may be measurable changes on lab
test results. Cats are probably a little more sensitive to onion toxicity than dogs are. I can't find
an exact quantity of onions required to cause toxicity problems  in dogs,  but there are several
case reports of onion toxicity and they involve whole onions or sizable portions of chopped
onions (like a cup or more).  I think that feeding dogs meat that has been cooked with onions is
pretty safe but you might want to avoid giving them the broth from around something like
pot-roast if there were a lot of onions used in the cooking, just to be safe.

Large amounts of garlic will produce similar toxicity problems in both dogs and cats. I think that
the amount required is not likely to be eaten by a cat but there are probably a few dogs who
would lap up a container of spilled garlic.

Among common foods, the only other significant toxicity that I can think of are recent reports of
toxicity from eating grapes and raisins that have been reported in dogs.
 

Mike Richards, DVM
11/15/2001

[LTR]

8. Dogs must have cast-iton stomachs

I've seen dogs eat outrageous things. I have a relative whose dog has eaten everything from copper wire to Corningware.

My dog used to eat out of the cats' litter box. He also eats big erasers.

Last night, a small piece of green pepper hit the floor, and he snarfed it up. I was thankful it wasn't a big piece (I assume peppers are in the same family somewhat as onions and garlic - irritants). I've also heard that chocolate can be toxic to pets as well.

FYI: I keep my pets on a strict diet. No table food! I usually buy Iams dry food for all my animals (though I've heard Science Diet is better) and get natural dog biscuits for the dog and Whiskas' wet food as an occasional treat for the cats (I know, it's probably not very healthy, but it's a once-in-a-while thing). Nonetheless, no people food!

[scarlet_owl]

9. My mom's dog got into some wild onions in the backyard

and the resulting gas almost twisted his intestines. The vet told my mother to make sure that the wild onions were completely removed from the yard (she has 9 rescue foster Rottweillers), so no other dogs can get into them. No, onions and peppers are not in the same family, but I wouldn't recommend peppers for dogs anyway. They might make them tooty.

[Richardo]

10. One of my favorite Dave Barry lines about dogs:

(paraphrase) "Dogs know that it is crucial that you immediately eat anything that hits the kitchen floor. If it turns out not to be food, you can always throw it up later."

:D

[mac56]

11. Try Nutro for your dogs.

Better than either Iams or Science Diet.

Add on edit: No, I don't work for the company.