Can Dogs Taste Oniony Food?

Introduction

While us humans are able to eat a large variety of foods, there are a number of foods that are sadly unsafe for our pooches to enjoy, like garlic and chocolate for instance. While us humans may believe that onions are worth crying over, your pup can get seriously ill from digesting onions, regardless of what kind or how they are cooked. Even further, our paw-rtners in crime can die if they consume just a tid-bit of onion.

There may be a number of factors that go into how your dog will be affected by onions - like dog size or the amount of onion digested, but if you suspect that your dog has ingested onions, its best to take your pup to the dog-tor immediately!

Introduction of Can Dogs Taste Oniony Food?

Signs Your Dog Ate Oniony Food

Unfortunately, even the smallest pinch of onion run the risk of your pooch experiencing hemolytic anemia. Hemolytic Anemia is very painful, and potentially fatal condition where your pup's red blood cells are damaged or completely destroyed, decreasing the number of red blood cells in your dog's body.

So what does this mean, can you keep onions in your house if you own a dog? How can you tell if your dog has eaten an onion? And what do you do if they have?
First off, look for signs of lack of enthusiasm. If your normally energetic pup is a lot more lethargic than usual, that's your first sign something is may not be right. Additionally, your pup might exhibit symptoms like panting, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, fainting, and even discolored urine.

Remember that damage that your dog’s red blood cells has taken from the consumption of onions will generally appear after 3-5 days from digestion.

Body Language

If you think your dog's gotten a hold of onions, make sure you're watching out for some of these body language cues from your pup:

Whining
Shaking
Panting
Weakness
Raspy panting
Tail tucking
Sleepiness

Other Signs

Those aren't all the signs you should be on the lookout for. There are other body language cues, as well, including:

Pale gums
Reddish urine
Vomiting
Diarrhea
No appetite
Fainting
Nausea
Severe hyperactivity
Irregular heartbeat
Muscle rigidity

The Science Behind Onions Being Toxic for Dogs

Onions and other members of the allium family – including garlic, shallots, leeks, and chives – can be fatal to our furry friends. Onions are a common ingredient found in many of our foods. Before you decide to give your pooch people-food, make sure to consider what the ingredients include. For instance, pizza, tomato sauce, some Chinese foods, and some baby foods contain onions, but we would not think about it immediately.

So why are onions so bad for our canines? Onions contain an ingredient called thiosulphate, which is highly toxic for your dog. The ingestion of thiosulphate causes a condition known as hemolytic anemia. Hemolytic anemia is a scientific way to say that onions cause damage to your dog's red blood cells.

In fact, onion toxicity can cause all of the red cells in your dog's body to become damaged or destroyed, resulting in a painful death. When blood cells die, the body’s bone marrow makes more blood cells to replace them. However, in hemolytic anemia, the bone marrow can’t make red blood cells fast enough, or at all.

We use red blood cells to carry and remove oxygen from our bodies. When our bodies don’t have enough red blood cells, some of the common symptoms are pain, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, an enlarged heart, or eventually heart failure.

To make onions even worse, they contain a compound called organosulfur that results in toxicosis. Toxicosis is a condition brought on by poisoning, which can be easily absorbed by the dog’s digestive tract. Onion ingestion can also lead to liver damage, asthmatic attacks, allergic reactions, weakness, diarrhea, discolored urine, anemia, vomiting, and even dermatitis. It's safe to say that your pooch should stay as far away from onions as possible.

What to Do if Your Dog Eats Onions

If your pooch comes into contact with onions (whether it be power, sliced, etc.) it is extremely important that you consult your veterinarian immediately. If symptoms occur as a result of onion ingestion, you should take your pup to the vet ASAP.

Treatment normally involves inducement of vomiting, flushing out the tummy, and using activated charcoal to treat not just poisoning but any potential allergic reactions as well. Other treatment plans may include maintaining your pup's hydration by providing fluid in his bloodstream, medication for liver damage, and calling for blood transfusions in more serious cases.

Remember that you should think and act quickly, because onions, believe it or not, can be a matter of life and death. The sooner you act and get your pup professional care it needs, the less potential there is for serious health damage and serious health treatment.

You should not attempt to treat a case of onion toxicity by yourself if you’re not a professional and are not certified to do so. The only course of treatment you should follow is one that is specified by your veterinarian.