Whenever you are dealing with garlic around your cat or dog, always be wary. Despite its health benefits to humans, it can be toxic to animals. There is a lot of debate surrounding this particular subject, but some people claim that garlic in very small, controlled amounts may be good for a pet. Still, you definitely don’t want to accidentally give them a whole clove or it could prove to be a bad situation.
It can be very challenging to find an effective way to get rid of fleas that won’t hurt your dog or cat. Most flea medications that can be administered to a pet tend to be packed full of chemicals, which has a lot of people looking for other answers. One of the more popular home remedies for fleas is garlic, but even this has mixed reviews. While some claim it works, others say there is no evidence of this, and it could even be bad for the pet—but generally this is just if the animal eats enough of it.
Mainly you should never feed a dog or cat concentrated amounts of garlic, and just one clove of garlic could lead to anemia and severe toxicity. In some cases, it can even be lethal if they eat too much. It works by damaging red blood cells. Aside from this, garlic as well as onions may cause irritation and ulcers in the animal’s stomach, esophagus, and mouth. A safer approach may be brewer’s yeast or vitamin B1.
On the other hand, there are a lot of websites which suggest using garlic to get rid of fleas. In fact, there are quite a few health benefits which many attribute to garlic. Garlic can help with blood clots, cholesterol, and it has anti-tumor and antibiotic properties. It may even provide some benefits to dogs fighting cancer. The theory behind using garlic to keep fleas away is the fact that they dislike the taste of it. Therefor, when a dog eats garlic, the smell is secreted through the skin—this is what some believe, and many do seem to use it. To put it simply, there are a lot of advantages to garlic but many people also strongly caution against using it for anything involving pets.
It is also possible to make a garlic spray for your yard. Cut up 8 heads of garlic and put them into a big pot with a gallon of hot water. Leave the garlic to steep in the water for a full 12 hours, then pour the water into a strainer and it’s good to go. Be careful when spraying garlic around the plants you want because it can also repel some of the good insects that keep your garden healthy. If you decide to try feeding your pet garlic make sure you don’t use too much. It is suggested that you use fresh organic whole clove garlic mixed with their food. For every 10 pounds your pet weighs you may use ¼ of a clove of normal-sized garlic, and if you have a really light pet that is under 10 pounds use 1/8 of a clove. Don’t exceed two cloves no matter how heavy the pet is.