Warning: Onions Are Dangerous To Dogs - Pet Society

Many dog owners have been informed about the bad effects of chocolates on the pet. However, it is not generally known that onions also have toxic effects on the dog. Onion are one of the foods safe for humans but poisonous to dogs.

Onion is a favorite cooking ingredient as it improves the taste of dishes. Onions are one of the people-safe foods that have toxic effects on dogs. Dog owners have the habit of feeding the pet human foods. Life threatening concerns can develop in a dog that ingests raw, cooked, powdered or dehydrated onion.

The toxic effects of onions will be dependent on the amount ingested by the pet. A dog would immediately show signs of poisoning if it has ingested significant amounts of onions. A small amount of onion consumed by the dog would not immediately cause a health concern. Onion toxicity will buildup in dogs that regularly ingest small amounts of onions. After a while symptoms of hemolytic anemia will be shown by the dog.

Onions are toxic to dogs because these animals do not have the enzyme needed to metabolize thiosuphate, a substance contained by onions. Thiosulphate is the substance that causes the toxicity and cause the premature destruction of red blood cells. Red blood cells have the significant function of supplying oxygen to the tissues and to the different organs of the body. As thiosulphate is not metabolized, this substance would oxidize the red blood cells. The oxidation will result to the formation of Heinz bodies, the small bubble-like clumps that project from the red blood cells. These projections make the red blood cells weak so that they would rupture easily. A dog with insufficient number of red blood cells would suffer from various health concerns.

Signs of onion toxicity usually occur a few days after the dog has regularly consumed onions. A one-time ingestion of small amounts of onion may not even harm the dog as the bone marrow will cope with the regeneration of the destroyed red blood cells. Dogs that eats onion regularly would suffer from the toxicity effects of this human food as the toxic substance would accumulate and cause the mass destruction of red blood cells. Hemolytic anemia will develop when the dog's bone marrow can no longer correct the mass destruction of red blood cells.

Dogs are not picky eaters thus there is no need to stimulate the pet's appetite by adding onions to its food. To ensure the well being of the pet please - refrain from adding onions to its food.

Source: http://goldenretrieverstreet.typepad.com/blog/2011/08/warning-onions-are-dangerous-to-dogs.html

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