Can Dogs Eat Onions?

Before you let your dog lick the leftovers off your dinner plate, think twice about it. Most dogs will eat just about anything you set in front of them but just because they will eat it, doesn’t necessarily mean that they should. Some of the most common and seemingly harmless “people foods” can actually be toxic for your dog. In this article, we’ll talk about onions and how they can affect your dog.

Are Onions Safe for Dogs to Eat?

While onions may be a delicious way to add flavor to your favorite recipes, they shouldn’t be on the menu for your dog. Onions contain a toxic ingredient called thiosulphate which is extremely dangerous for both dogs and cats. This substance damages the red blood cells, causing them to burst and leading to a condition called hemolytic anemia. Symptoms of this condition may include the following:

• Difficulty breathing
• Lethargy or low energy
• Diarrhea and vomiting
• Loss of interest in food

Depending how much onion your dog eats, it could take two to four days for symptoms to appear. These symptoms can happen even if your dog consumes as little as 15 to 30 grams per kilogram of bodyweight and any type of onion, cooked or raw, can be dangerous.

What to Do If Your Dog Eats Onions

If your dog eats onion, even a small amount, you should contact your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will be able to help you determine if your dog ate enough onion to require treatment or not. In some cases, your vet may choose to induce vomiting or to do a gastric lavage to flush the onion out of your dog’s stomach. Additionally, he may recommend using activated charcoal to counteract the toxins. It will also be very important that you keep your dog hydrated. In severe cases, a blood transfusion may also be a necessary part of treatment.

Unfortunately, your dog doesn’t know the difference between food that is safe to eat and food that isn’t. This means that it’s your job to keep your dog safe by keeping potentially dangerous foods well out of his reach. Always dispose of food waste properly and don’t leave open containers out where your dog could potentially reach them. Some of the foods that you need to be particularly careful about include pizza, tomato sauce, Chinese food, stews, and salads.

Are Any Vegetables Safe for Dogs?

Just because onions are not safe for dogs doesn’t mean that you need to avoid all vegetables. In fact, most vegetables are safe for dogs to eat and they can provide important nutrients. Here are some of the most nutrition vegetables that are safe for dogs to eat:

• Carrots
• Sugar snap peas
• Green beans
• Sweet potatoes
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Pumpkin
• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Brussels sprouts
• Spinach
• Asparagus

There are many ways to feed your dog vegetables. Some dogs will eat veggies like carrots plan while others will only eat them if they’re pureed and mixed into food. You can also try making homemade dog biscuits using pureed veggies to give your dog a boost of healthy nutrition.