03/26/2026
Garlic for dogs 🧄…let’s clear this up 👇
Garlic often gets labeled “toxic” because it’s related to onions, but here’s the nuance: garlic contains about 1/15th the amount of the compound linked to toxicity and is actually recognized as a safe ingredient in commercial pet foods (AAFCO).
In small, appropriate amounts, garlic provides allicin, which may support:
❤️ Heart health
🛡️ Immune function
🦠 Antimicrobial support
The studies often cited to claim harm? They used extreme doses…the equivalent of feeding a 70 lb dog ~245 cloves of garlic in one week (yes, really). Even then, no dogs showed outward symptoms, just minor microscopic changes in some red blood cells.
The amounts in this graphic fall well within safe daily feeding guidelines 👍
🐈 For added context: the National Research Council has even set a historical safe intake for cats at 17 mg/kg of body weight, further highlighting that dose matters.
Bottom line:
Garlic isn’t the villain - it’s the amount that matters.
📌 Save this for reference & always stick to proper serving sizes 🐶🐱
