My dog ate onion, what should I do?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Call your vet straight away and tell them what your dog ate, roughly how much, when, and your dog's weight. Onion and garlic, raw, cooked, dried or powdered, damage a dog's red blood cells and can cause anaemia. Signs often take a few days to appear, so do not wait for them, and do not make your dog sick at home.
If your vet sees your dog within about four hours, they may make it vomit. Watch closely for five days for weakness, pale or yellow gums, fast breathing or red-brown urine, which mean anaemia and a vet visit the same day. PDSA says most dogs recover well with treatment.
What should I do right now?
Phone first. Your vet will judge the risk from the food, the amount and your dog's size, which no web page can do for you.
If Your dog has just eaten onion, garlic, leeks or chives
Call your vet as soon as possible, even if your dog seems well. Signs can take days to show. PDSA
If You want to make your dog vomit
Do not do it at home. PDSA says it is important not to induce vomiting at home; a vet may do it safely if it is within about four hours of eating. PDSA
If It was garlic, garlic paste or a garlic-heavy dish
Say so on the phone. The Merck Veterinary Manual says garlic is 3 to 5 times more toxic than onion. Merck Veterinary Manual
If It was onion powder, dried onion flakes or a soup or masala mix
Take the packet to the vet. Merck lists dehydrated flakes, powders and dry onion soup mixes among the concentrated forms. Merck Veterinary Manual
If Your dog is weak, breathing fast, has pale or yellow gums or red-brown urine
This can be anaemia. Go to the nearest open vet today and phone on the way. Merck Veterinary Manual
Why are onion and garlic dangerous for dogs?
They contain sulphur compounds that damage red blood cells, so the body destroys them faster than it can replace them.
The Merck Veterinary Manual says sulphur-containing oxidants in the Allium family are thought to cause the damage. They injure red blood cells, which then break down, a condition vets call Heinz body haemolytic anaemia. ASPCA Animal Poison Control adds that Allium vegetables also irritate the stomach and gut, so vomiting and diarrhoea can come first.
The family includes onion, garlic, leeks and chives, and PDSA says all parts of these plants are toxic to dogs, even when cooked or dried. Merck lists raw, cooked, dehydrated and granulated onion and garlic as forms that cause poisoning.
How much it takes varies. PDSA notes that some dogs are more sensitive than others, and ASPCA says dogs are at risk depending on the amount eaten. Cats are even more sensitive: Merck names them as the most susceptible species, followed by dogs. That is why the safe step is to phone the vet, not to guess.
When do symptoms of onion poisoning appear?
Unlike many poisons, onion and garlic work slowly. Keep watching for a week even if your dog seems fine on day one.
The first 24 hours
Symptoms can start within 24 hours, but more often take a few days. Early signs are vomiting, diarrhoea, a sore belly, less appetite and dehydration. PDSA
Within 24 hours, peaking near day 3
Changes in the blood that reduce how much oxygen it carries begin within 24 hours and peak in about 72 hours, according to Merck. Merck Veterinary Manual
Days 1 to 5
Anaemia can develop, showing as tiredness and trouble breathing. PDSA
Days 3 to 5
Red blood cells typically break down in this window. Look for weakness, not wanting to walk, fast breathing and heartbeat, yellow gums or eyes, red-brown urine and collapse. Merck Veterinary Manual
Which Indian foods contain onion or garlic?
Most Indian home cooking starts with onion, garlic or both, so leftovers are the usual way dogs eat them.
- Dal, sabzi, curry and gravy finished with an onion or garlic tadka. PDSA
- Biryani, pulao, keema and non-vegetarian curries, which usually carry fried onion and ginger-garlic paste. PDSA
- Onion pakoras, samosas, kachoris and chaat with raw onion. PDSA
- Garlic chutney, garlic pickle, garlic bread and pizza. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Packaged masalas, soup mixes, namkeen and chips seasoned with onion or garlic powder. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Sauces, stock cubes and baby food, which PDSA warns may contain onion or garlic. PDSA
- Spring onions, leeks and chives, which belong to the same plant family. ASPCA Animal Poison Control
How urgent is it?
Every route below starts with a phone call to your vet. What changes is how fast you need to be there.
If Your dog ate onion or garlic in the last few hours and seems fine
Call your vet now. If they want to make your dog vomit, it works best within about four hours of eating. PDSA
If Your dog ate onion or garlic a day or more ago
Call your vet for advice. They may want blood tests to check for anaemia, since signs can take days. PDSA
If Your dog is vomiting, has diarrhoea or is off food after eating onion
See your vet today. Gut irritation often comes first, and the vet will want to check for anaemia. ASPCA Animal Poison Control
If Pale or yellow gums, red-brown urine, fast breathing, weakness or collapse
Emergency. Go to the nearest 24-hour vet now. Severe cases may need oxygen or a blood transfusion. Emergency vets Merck Veterinary Manual
What will the vet do?
Treatment depends on timing. PDSA says that within four hours of eating, the vet may make your dog vomit, then give activated charcoal to absorb what is left, with fluids through a drip and observation in hospital if needed. Blood tests check for anaemia, and medicine may be given for symptoms such as vomiting.
For dogs that are already anaemic, Merck describes oxygen or a blood transfusion for life-threatening signs, and fluids to protect the kidneys.
The outlook is good for most dogs. PDSA says most dogs recover well with treatment, and that it is very rare for onion, garlic or leek poisoning to cause ongoing severe problems or death.
How do I stop it happening again?
Keep plates, the dustbin and the kitchen counter out of reach, and ask family members, guests and domestic help not to give the dog leftovers from the family meal. If you cook for your dog, make its food separately, before the tadka goes in. Petym's guide to Indian foods dogs can eat explains which plain foods are fine, and the can my dog eat this tool checks a food in seconds.
When someone else looks after your dog, write "no onion, garlic or family leftovers" on the care sheet. A Petym sitter follows the pet's plan as the owner writes it, logs meals as they happen, and in an emergency calls the owner and takes the pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list.
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Questions owners ask
How much onion is toxic to a dog?
- It depends on the dog, the amount and the form, and some dogs are more sensitive than others, so there is no amount you can safely rely on. Garlic is 3 to 5 times more toxic than onion, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. Call your vet, who can judge the risk from your dog's weight and what it ate.
Is cooked onion safe for dogs?
- No. PDSA says all parts of onion and garlic plants are toxic to dogs even when cooked or dried, and the Merck Veterinary Manual lists raw, cooked, dehydrated and powdered forms. Frying onion in a tadka, or cooking it into dal or curry, does not remove the risk.
My dog ate a little dal with onion in it. What should I do?
- Phone your vet for advice and tell them roughly how much your dog ate and its weight. Then watch your dog for at least five days for vomiting, tiredness, pale or yellow gums, fast breathing or red-brown urine, because anaemia from onion can take days to appear.
How long after eating onion will a dog get sick?
- Stomach upset can start within 24 hours, but PDSA says signs more often take a few days, and anaemia can appear 1 to 5 days after eating. Merck says red blood cells typically break down 3 to 5 days after exposure. A dog that seems fine on the first day still needs watching.
Is garlic worse than onion for dogs?
- Yes. The Merck Veterinary Manual says garlic is 3 to 5 times more toxic than onion. Ginger-garlic paste, garlic chutney and garlic pickle are concentrated sources, so tell your vet exactly what your dog ate if garlic was involved.
Can onion poisoning in dogs be treated?
- Yes. Vets can make the dog vomit if it is seen early, give activated charcoal and fluids, check the blood for anaemia and, in severe cases, give oxygen or a blood transfusion. PDSA says most dogs recover well with treatment and lasting harm is very rare.
Keep reading
- Foods toxic to dogsThe full Indian kitchen safety list.
- Indian foods dogs can eatRoti, rice and curd, and the tadka problem.
- Can my dog eat this?
- Signs your pet needs a vet now
- Foods toxic to catsCats are even more sensitive to onion.
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