Warning: Onions Are Toxic to Dogs : The Wise Directory

July 22, 2012 ? Posted in Family?

Pet parents would want to ensure the health of the pet to extend its 12 or 15 years life span. Pets would be provided with highly nutritious foods, supplements and vitamins. Dog owners would feed the pet human food and take time to provide the pet with home cooked meals. However, an owner?s act of kindness of giving the pet human foods can have dangerous effect on the pet. Some foods safe for people to consume would poison the pet. Dogs must not be allowed to eat onions as this human food is toxic to dogs.

Onion in any form ? raw, cooked or powdered and mixed with other foods would have harmful effects on the dog. The thiosuphate found in this pungent cooking ingredient is poisonous to dogs. Dogs do not have the enzyme necessary to digest onions thus these human-safe foods become poisonous to dogs.

Toxicity of onions is dose dependent. Dogs are voracious eaters and a big bowl of onion rings would be too tempting for the pet to resist. Large quantities of onions consumed by the dog in one meal would have immediate fatal effects. If the pet eats small amounts of dishes containing onions regularly, it would take a few days before toxicity symptoms will be seen.

Dogs that eats onions can have allergies and liver damage. Vomiting and the frequent passing of watery stool occurs if the dog ingests onions. Others can have asthma attacks. Hemolytic anemia is the most dangerous effect of onion toxicity in dogs. This condition that is also known as Heinz body anemia can have a fatal effect on dogs as it affects hemoglobin. Hemoglobin in the red blood cells is responsible for distributing oxygen from the lungs to the different cells in the body.

Dogs do not have the enzyme that will digest thiosulphate thus this substance found in onions will oxidize hemoglobin. This substance will cause bubble-like clumps to form in the red blood cells. The Heinz bodies, as the bubble like clumps are called, will burst thereby causing the red blood cells to be destroyed prematurely. Although the bone marrow repairs any damage to the red blood cells, it would not be able to cope with massive destruction. The destruction of the red blood cells will result to the insufficient supply of oxygen so that the functions of the vital organs are affected.

Owners need not add onions to the home cooked meal of the pet. Onion or no onion, the pet will appreciate the cooking of momma.

While you now have some knowledge about onion toxicity in dogs. There is still much to learn about dogs and onions. Not only that, but how about dogs and bananas, popcorn, nuts, garlic, ham or honey? Find out more about foods toxic to dogs at Sarah?s Dogs?

Comments

Source: http://www.wisedir.com/warning-onions-are-toxic-to-dogs?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=warning-onions-are-toxic-to-dogs

ohio state vs kansas daniel von bargen the beach blood diamond 8 bit google maps kids choice awards 2012 micah true