Dogs have short life spans thus pet owner would want to keep the pet healthy to lengthen the years the dog will be with the family. Aside from nutritious foods, the dog will have vitamins and supplements. Home cooked meals in addition to nutrient-rich commercial dog foods will be given to the pet. Unfortunately, the owner's good intentions can have dangerous effects on the pet. Some foods safe for people to consume would poison the pet. Onions are one of the people foods poisonous to dogs.
Any form of onion -cooked, raw or powdered would poison the dogs. The thiosuphate found in this pungent cooking ingredient is poisonous to dogs. Onions are toxic to dogs because these animals do not have the enzyme necessary to digest this human-safe food.
Severity of poisoning will depend on the amount of onion consumed by the dog. 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. Toxicity will build up if the dog regularly ingest small amounts of onions thus symptoms of poisoning would be seen after a few days.
Liver damage and allergic reaction can occur in dogs that eat onions. The dog will vomit and have diarrhea. Others can have asthma attacks. Onion consumption can result to a dangerous health concern known as hemolytic anemia. Onion toxicity can result to Heinz body anemia, a condition that affect the hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin in the red blood cells is responsible for distributing oxygen from the lungs to the different cells in the body.
As thiosulphate in the onions ingested by the dog is not metabolized, the substance would have the dangerous effect of oxidizing hemoglobin. This substance will cause bubble-like clumps to form in the red blood cells. These clumps known as Heinz bodies will stick out and eventually rupture causing the premature destruction of the red blood cells. Although the bone marrow repairs any damage to the red blood cells, it would not be able to cope with massive destruction. Due to the massive destruction, the red blood cells would not be able to deliver the amount of oxygen needed by the vital organs of the body.
Owners need not add onions to the home cooked meal of the pet. Even without onion to enhance the taste of the food, a dog will still eat with gusto.
Any form of onion -cooked, raw or powdered would poison the dogs. The thiosuphate found in this pungent cooking ingredient is poisonous to dogs. Onions are toxic to dogs because these animals do not have the enzyme necessary to digest this human-safe food.
Severity of poisoning will depend on the amount of onion consumed by the dog. 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. Toxicity will build up if the dog regularly ingest small amounts of onions thus symptoms of poisoning would be seen after a few days.
Liver damage and allergic reaction can occur in dogs that eat onions. The dog will vomit and have diarrhea. Others can have asthma attacks. Onion consumption can result to a dangerous health concern known as hemolytic anemia. Onion toxicity can result to Heinz body anemia, a condition that affect the hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin in the red blood cells is responsible for distributing oxygen from the lungs to the different cells in the body.
As thiosulphate in the onions ingested by the dog is not metabolized, the substance would have the dangerous effect of oxidizing hemoglobin. This substance will cause bubble-like clumps to form in the red blood cells. These clumps known as Heinz bodies will stick out and eventually rupture causing the premature destruction of the red blood cells. Although the bone marrow repairs any damage to the red blood cells, it would not be able to cope with massive destruction. Due to the massive destruction, the red blood cells would not be able to deliver the amount of oxygen needed by the vital organs of the body.
Owners need not add onions to the home cooked meal of the pet. Even without onion to enhance the taste of the food, a dog will still eat with gusto.
About the Author:
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?
