Dogs are highly valued pets and keeping the pet healthy is one way of ensuring that the pet will be with the family much longer. Dog owner would maintain the health of the pet with nutritious foods, vitamins and supplements. 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. Not all human-safe foods would be safe for the pet as well. 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.
Toxicity of onions is dose dependent. Dogs would eat just about anything and the taste of onions will entice the pet to eat one bulb after another. Symptoms of poisoning will surface at once if the dog has ingested large amounts of onions. 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. Vomiting and the frequent passing of watery stool occurs if the dog ingests onions. 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. The hemoglobin in the red blood cells has the important function of carrying oxygen to all cells of the body.
As thiosulphate in the onions ingested by the dog is not metabolized, the substance would have the dangerous effect of oxidizing hemoglobin. Once hemoglobin is oxidized, bubble-like clumps will 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. The bone marrow has the function of repairing damaged red blood cells but the bone marrow's function will be ineffective if the red blood cells destruction is massive. 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.
Dogs have good appetites thus onions will not be necessary to enhance the taste of their home cooked meals. Onion or no onion, the pet will appreciate the cooking of momma.
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.
Toxicity of onions is dose dependent. Dogs would eat just about anything and the taste of onions will entice the pet to eat one bulb after another. Symptoms of poisoning will surface at once if the dog has ingested large amounts of onions. 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. Vomiting and the frequent passing of watery stool occurs if the dog ingests onions. 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. The hemoglobin in the red blood cells has the important function of carrying oxygen to all cells of the body.
As thiosulphate in the onions ingested by the dog is not metabolized, the substance would have the dangerous effect of oxidizing hemoglobin. Once hemoglobin is oxidized, bubble-like clumps will 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. The bone marrow has the function of repairing damaged red blood cells but the bone marrow's function will be ineffective if the red blood cells destruction is massive. 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.
Dogs have good appetites thus onions will not be necessary to enhance the taste of their home cooked meals. Onion or no onion, the pet will appreciate the cooking of momma.
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?
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