Is garlic toxic to dogs? Manufacturer responds to concerns over ingredient in pet treats

A dog owner was shocked after feeding treats that contained garlic powder to her pet.

Stomper Yew had purchased a packet of Iti's venison cuts with kiwifruit at Pet Lovers Centre's VivoCity outlet on Feburary 9.

She said: "I only looked at the ingredients after buying the treats and feeding it to my dog. When I looked closely at the ingredients, I was shocked at why there is garlic powder in the treats as dogs are not supposed to eat garlic.

"I tried searching on Google and saw reports that said garlic is not safe for dogs."

Yew said she also came across a Stomp article from March 2020 about a woman who alleged that her dog had fallen ill after consuming the same treats.

Yew added: "My dog suffered a skin allergy (hot spots) afterwards.

"I threw the treats away but did not provide feedback to Pet Lovers Centre as I don't think it's their fault.

"I would just like to raise awareness about being cautious when buying such treats. Now I will read the ingredients properly when I select and buy dog treats."

In response to a Stomp query, Pet Lovers Centre shared the following statement from the product manufacturer:

"According to studies, garlic in large amounts can be toxic to dogs. Garlic is a member of the allium family and contains thiosulfate, this can cause oxidative damage to red blood cells resulting in hemolytic anemia causing various symptoms.

"Studies have found it takes approximately 15 to 30 grams of garlic per kilogram of body weight to produce harmful changes in a dog’s blood.

"To put that into perspective, the average clove of supermarket garlic weighs between 3 and 7 grams, so your dog would have to eat a lot to get really sick.

"However, some dogs are more sensitive to garlic toxicity than others, and consumption of a toxic dose spread out over a few days could also cause problems.

"Iti Venison with Kiwifruit contains 0.3861gm of garlic per 100gms. We can confirm that the quantity of garlic is low, there is enough garlic in the iti products to provide health benefits, but levels are significantly below what may be considered dangerous.

"For example the iti Venison with Kiwifruit 100g pouch contains garlic at 0.3861gm/100gm. Beef Curated Cuts has 1.0578gm/100gm, Lamb & Abalone 0.3620/100gm and Hip & Joint Beef Jerky 1.121gm/100gm.

"These quantities would have no adverse health effects for your pet. We hope this explanation has provided the reassurance needed for iti customers to continue spoiling their dogs with the it treat range.

"Pet Lovers Centre's vet-trained pet care consultant also says that garlic has potential health benefits such as acting as a flea and tick deterrent, promoting immune functions and preventing cardiovascular diseases."