[Piccolo's mom]

Originally Posted by Lacy's Mom

Don't know if corn syrup actually comes from corn or not, but the amount is so small it wouldn't matter if it did. The reason dog food makers use corn is it is a cheap source of protein and very hard for dogs to digest because they do not have the enzymes necessary to break it down, after all they are carnivores, not vegetarians.

You're right garlic and onion have the same toxin, but onion has more. Many reputable dog foods contain garlic. A dog would have to eat a considerable amount to have a toxic reaction.

About the toxicity of onions and garlic:
Onions cause hemolytic anemia, which means that the red blood cells break down leaving the dog short of oxygen. Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. The condition generally improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion. The poisoning may occur a few days after the dog has eaten the onion. At first dogs affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhea, weakness and show little or no interest in food. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected dog's urine making it dark colored. The dog will experience shortness of breath because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number. Other symptoms are elevated body temperature, confusion, and increased heart rate. Seek veterinary care immediately.

The quantity of onions, raw or cooked, required is high enough that dogs can generally tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of onion without apparent signs of onion poisoning. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.

WOW !!! Thank you very much for this post. It is VERY informative. I may sound paranoid but I love my baby to pieces and want to know everything - just in case....He is very healthy so far but I got scared reading the forum about all these poor puppies who got sick.
You're wonderful, thanks again.