Is Garlic Bad for dogs?

Recently I made my dogs some superb dog biscuits.. the recipe like most other dog biscuit recipes had garlic in it, I made them then was advised by a friend (thanks Sophie), and my vet, that garlic could be harmful ..

The truth is after much searching on the net, it seems there is much confliction when it comes to advice, some experts say that it is beneficial, boosting the immune system, and fights infection, but most are warning that it can cause damage to the red blood cells, which can cause anemia and even death, but I think what we need to look at is the dosage.

Vetbase.co.uk advises....."Onions and garlic, along with similar plants contain chemicals called organosulfoxides, such chemicals are readily absorbed through the gut when the plant is eaten, and in animals they, or their metabolites, can then cause oxidative damage to the animal's red blood cells. This is often serious enough to cause the destruction of the red cells - a process known as haemolysis. This can result in haemolytic anaemia if large numbers of red cells are destroyed. Haemolytic anaemia is a serious condition.Poisoning usually results from pets consuming a large amount of onion or garlic product in one go, or after repeatedly eating smaller amounts at regular or frequent intervals. The quantities of onions consumed does not need to be particularly large; for example, onion poisoning can occur after the consumption of as little as 150g in a 10kg dog."


But I'm still confused.. I google  'Dog Biscuit Recipes' and they are still telling me to add garlic,in fact I have a few doggie treat books, with 80% of the recipes using garlic..
My conclusion is that I will not be using it.. 


In the meantime here are some great recipes for your canine companions WITHOUT THE GARLIC!!..


http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/Recipes/Peanut%20Butter%20Dog%20Biscuits.htm 

http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/Recipes/Vegetarian%20Dog%20Biscuits.htm 

Cheese Biscuits 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups. Flour
1 1/4 cups. Grated Cheddar
1/4 cups. Veg. Oil
4 Tbl. Water 

Directions: Preheat oven 180 degrees.

Cream the ingredients together, adding the water one tablespoon at a time to help bind the dough. When it begins to form a ball, roll it out on a floured surface, using cookie cutters, cut the dough into fun shapes and place on cookie sheet. Bake approx. 10 min. until lightly browned. 

Makes about 30 med. size biscuits..

My advice is to store them in a tupperware box but make some holes in the lid with a hot skewer, if they are kept airtight they go soft.. keep them hard and crunchy by having a non-airtight container.. also let them cool down in the oven.. (turn off oven after cooking them and leave them in there) they will get really nice and hard.. 

Happy Baking

Oh and you will need one of these... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kitchen-Craft-Cookie-Cutter-Extra/dp/B000YJB934/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331914934&sr=8-3