Is garlic powder in dog treats safe? My vet says garlic is toxic.
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Why does the dog treats I have contain garlic powder? (it says in the ingredients) and my veterinarian says garlic & onion are toxic.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on December 23rd, 2015
Garlic and onions both have the potential to be toxic, but amount and size of your animal contribute greatly to the toxicity level. The ASPCA poison control is a great resource for toxic chemicals, plants and foods if you would like more information. My suspicion is the dog treats have a very small amount of garlic and it is probably for flavor. I still find it interesting that it would contain it at all and if you were nervous about it I simply would not administer any more of the treats. Some of my favorite treats that I recommend for pet owners are things like dehydrated chicken or turke. Just simple strips of meat that don't contain any preservatives or any additional ingredients. I also like carrots and green beans depending on what your dog is willing to eat. Like with most pet food I try to encourage people to find things with simple, clean ingredients. Just like with our groceries, there are a lot of choices out there and not all are as healthy as the manufacturer would like us to believe.
35Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on September 7th, 2018
Garlic can be toxic to dogs and cats but the toxicity is dose dependent, which is why some pet foods may have garlic added for flavoring. The amount of garlic in these foods is small and not in amounts adquate to cause toxicity. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=6137821
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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