Natural Flea Control

[Yorkiemom1]

So my hippie cousin sends me this article she found someplace....I have told her garlic (from everything I have ever understood about garlic and dogs) is not healthy to give to her dogs, so she finds this article someplace and sends it to me as proof that I am wrong. I am getting tired trying to convence her that garlic is not good to give her dogs, and she always sends me articles that say I am so far wrong on this.......I have never given it.....I am not a natural food person and dont use natural things growing around the house/yard to treat my dogs if and when they have an issue, so I just dont know if it is worth my time and energy to continue THIS battle!

"GARLIC FOR HUMAN AND DOG HEALTH

Numerous medical studies show how garlic juice reduces cholesterol and helps the heart.
Worldwide people take garlic pills, eat garlic cloves and spray garlic juice on food for good health.

For dogs it does even more:
1. Keeps dogs from having worms and gets rid of worms that are there.
2. Keeps fleas and ticks off dogs by getting into the dog's system and creating
a garlic odor that fleas and ticks detect and avoid the dog altogether.
(Don't worry, your dog won't smell like garlic. Humans can't detect
the garlic odor on the dog but the insects sure will!)
3. Reduces a dog's cholesterol level for good heart function.

Garlic Juice is easiest way to give garlic to your dog, here's how most kennels and dog owners do it:
Spray or pour garlic into the dog's food, mix well into the food.

Here's the recommended daily dosage:

5-20 lb. dogs - 4 sprays or 1/4 ounce in food daily.
21-50 lb. dogs - 6 sprays into food and mix well.
51 lbs. and over dogs 8 sprays into food and mix well.

If, for some rare reason your dog will not eat food with the garlic juice in it, mix the garlic
juice with soybean oil (available in the cooking oil section at your local supermarket) and mix
into food - this also helps make a very nice coat on the dog.

Say goodbye to poisonous flea collars! Mother Nature has provided a safe and all-natural
alternative - farm fresh garlic juice! "

She tells me she has used this garlic remedy for many years and never had a dog get sick, let alone die, from ingestion of garlic.....so I have no idea what is right or wrong here.....

[chickensmith]

I wonder if we could poll our vets and post their responses here to see what kind of answers we get. It may or may not help to solve this quandry! I honestly can't remember anyone ever asking my boss about garlic.....onions yes and that was a no.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

So my hippie cousin sends me this article she found someplace....

She tells me she has used this garlic remedy for many years and never had a dog get sick, let alone die, from ingestion of garlic.....so I have no idea what is right or wrong here.....

First let me say, I love me a hippie !!!

I actually have long believed that in small amounts, garlic is great for dogs...just as for people...but in smaller proportion.

I bet some holistic vets would have some good answers/feedback on this question...wonder if Dr. Becker has ever addressed this on her blog, maybe...?

[Yorkiemom1]

This cousin is a true flower child that is STUCK in 1966!!! She survived the drug culture, and she doesnt even smoke pot, which thrills ME because I can not stomach the smell of that krappe! She is really into all natural everything.......I had long ago heard a little garlic in dog food helped control fleas....I have used a touch of garlic as seasoning across their dog food when I am giving medicine...it masks the smell of the medicine and it has never hurt any of my dogs....but I have not ever given it daily to combat fleas, etc. This is the group of family that said some people actually feed their dogs gunpowder to make them mean, to use as guard dogs....???? I can not even imagine!!!!!

[mimimomo]

Garlic in pet food

One of the most frequent questions we get here in Customer Service is about Garlic (Allium Sativum). Many of you have heard or read that garlic is toxic to dogs and wonder why we include it in our Force, Keen & Zeal diets. I wish to address this concern and eliminate the fear of including garlic in your canine friend's diet.

Garlic is a member of the Allium family, along with onions. The toxic chemical contained in garlic and onions is thiosulphate. Dogs should NEVER be fed onions. But, this chemical only exists in minute amounts in garlic. Ingestion of large doses of this chemical can cause hemolytic anemia in dogs, destroying red blood cells. A large dose would be ingested if, for instance, you are in the middle of making dinner and you walk away from the kitchen counter to answer the phone, leaving a whole bulb of garlic within easy reach for your dog who proceeds to devour the entire thing.

However, in small amounts, garlic offers many health benefits for both humans and dogs. Some of them are as follows:
Garlic helps to eliminate worms, strengthens digestion and stimulates the intestinal tract (in a good way) and generally supports intestinal health. In this way, it can be a good choice for dogs making the transition to a fresh, raw diet.

It is good for animals that are being fed a high-meat or fish diet, overweight dogs and those that suffer from hip pain, arthritis or dysplasia.
Garlic is also a potent anti-fungal agent and can be used topically for fungal skin infections.

For helping to clear up cases of hay fever, seasonal allergies, kennel cough or other respiratory ailments, Garlic is useful due to its action as a strong expectorant, helping to clear the lungs and kill bacteria.

Garlic is naturally anti-bacterial and can be supplemented to help treat any condition caused by bacteria, internally or externally.

In studies, garlic has been shown to reduce blood-sugar levels in diabetic dogs and humans.

One of garlic’s most publicized benefits is its ability to lower blood cholesterol and improve circulation.

Garlic supports the production of white blood cells, strengthening your dog’s resistance to infections of all kinds.

The Whole Dog Journal, recommends garlic as a good addition to any raw diet. Their advice is that you can safely feed 1 clove of garlic for every 20 lbs of body weight.

Another source describes an average daily intake of garlic as 1 clove per day for a medium-large dog. Yet another source claims that you would need to feed your dog as much as two whole bulbs a day for an extended period to make your dog sick. At www.Sojos.com, they claim that it would take as much as 50 cloves of garlic in one sitting to cause toxic effects in your dog. Keep in mind that people have been feeding their dogs garlic safely for thousands of years and that many healthy pet foods and treats contain garlic in small, safe amounts. It is simply a matter of very high doses and a large quantity relative to the size of your dog.

Dr. Pitcairn recommends the following amounts be given to your dog if feeding a raw diet and if indicated. Cats can have 1/4 clove per day.
10-15lbs = 1/2 clove of garlic
20-40lbs = 1 clove
45-70lbs = 2 cloves
75-90lbs = 2 1/2 cloves
100lbs+ = 3 cloves

Force, Keen and Zeal diets contain small, health-boosting amounts of garlic.

***Resource: www.preciouspets.org, Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, The Lang Institute for Canine Massage: Course Manual, The Whole Dog Journal, Alternative Medicine for Pets, www.Sojos.com.


- See more at: Garlic in pet food

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Garlic in pet food

One of the most frequent questions we get here in Customer Service is about Garlic (Allium Sativum). Many of you have heard or read that garlic is toxic to dogs and wonder why we include it in our Force, Keen & Zeal diets. I wish to address this concern and eliminate the fear of including garlic in your canine friend's diet.

Garlic is a member of the Allium family, along with onions. The toxic chemical contained in garlic and onions is thiosulphate. Dogs should NEVER be fed onions. But, this chemical only exists in minute amounts in garlic. Ingestion of large doses of this chemical can cause hemolytic anemia in dogs, destroying red blood cells. A large dose would be ingested if, for instance, you are in the middle of making dinner and you walk away from the kitchen counter to answer the phone, leaving a whole bulb of garlic within easy reach for your dog who proceeds to devour the entire thing.

However, in small amounts, garlic offers many health benefits for both humans and dogs. Some of them are as follows:
Garlic helps to eliminate worms, strengthens digestion and stimulates the intestinal tract (in a good way) and generally supports intestinal health. In this way, it can be a good choice for dogs making the transition to a fresh, raw diet.

It is good for animals that are being fed a high-meat or fish diet, overweight dogs and those that suffer from hip pain, arthritis or dysplasia.
Garlic is also a potent anti-fungal agent and can be used topically for fungal skin infections.

For helping to clear up cases of hay fever, seasonal allergies, kennel cough or other respiratory ailments, Garlic is useful due to its action as a strong expectorant, helping to clear the lungs and kill bacteria.

Garlic is naturally anti-bacterial and can be supplemented to help treat any condition caused by bacteria, internally or externally.

In studies, garlic has been shown to reduce blood-sugar levels in diabetic dogs and humans.

One of garlic’s most publicized benefits is its ability to lower blood cholesterol and improve circulation.

Garlic supports the production of white blood cells, strengthening your dog’s resistance to infections of all kinds.

The Whole Dog Journal, recommends garlic as a good addition to any raw diet. Their advice is that you can safely feed 1 clove of garlic for every 20 lbs of body weight.

Another source describes an average daily intake of garlic as 1 clove per day for a medium-large dog. Yet another source claims that you would need to feed your dog as much as two whole bulbs a day for an extended period to make your dog sick. At www.Sojos.com, they claim that it would take as much as 50 cloves of garlic in one sitting to cause toxic effects in your dog. Keep in mind that people have been feeding their dogs garlic safely for thousands of years and that many healthy pet foods and treats contain garlic in small, safe amounts. It is simply a matter of very high doses and a large quantity relative to the size of your dog.

Dr. Pitcairn recommends the following amounts be given to your dog if feeding a raw diet and if indicated. Cats can have 1/4 clove per day.
10-15lbs = 1/2 clove of garlic
20-40lbs = 1 clove
45-70lbs = 2 cloves
75-90lbs = 2 1/2 cloves
100lbs+ = 3 cloves

Force, Keen and Zeal diets contain small, health-boosting amounts of garlic.

***Resource: www.preciouspets.org, Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, The Lang Institute for Canine Massage: Course Manual, The Whole Dog Journal, Alternative Medicine for Pets, www.Sojos.com.


- See more at: Garlic in pet food

Thank you for this!! What about the minced garlic you can buy at the grocery, in the large jars....I always buy that for my cooking Italian food....I will be buying some for the dogs now! What do you think....like about 1/4 teaspoon/daily for dogs weighing 4-8 lbs...assorted sizes!!??? And is this good for FLEAS??? That is why my cousin is dosing her dogs with minced garlic....she says it kills/repels fleas....? Guess you could use that liquid garlic juice....a couple of drops....in their food for fleas if they have fleas....?