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are onions really toxic?

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zoomama

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I'm really wondering now because I was browsing Dr. Burkett's (the board certified avian vet's site), and saw that he is selling these:

Crazycorn Pollypasta...lists onions as an ingredient
Crazy Corn 1lb

and

San Francisco Bay Brand treats, advertised as being designed and developed with Dr. Burkett...it lists dried leek as an ingredient
San Francisco Bay Brand Healthy Bird Instant Treats Vegetable Medley 7pk

So I'm wondering if onion really is a problem or not? Any thoughts?
 

KimKimWilliamson

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I do know that uncooked onions are harmful to canines, Im not sure about other animals though. I know this isnt much help but....you'd think if it were harmful for dogs, it's be the same for a smaller animal. But any ingredients in a treat of that nature would probably be cooked.......
 

Sharpie

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From my understanding, onions are one of those things that are toxic... sort of. If your dog (or parrot) gets into a canister of dried onions from costco and eats it all, you've got a problem. If the animal gets a taste of pasta sauce that has some of those same onions in it, there's no problem at all. A bite of fresh onion from a stolen salad? Again, it should be fine, but if they go to town and eat an onion like I'd eat an apple, you might have an issue. It's all about dose, which is true with just about anything. Most drugs are toxic, if you take too much, but at the right dose, it helps fight illness. Same for many vitamins and even salt, or calories... eat too much of those and you get health issues that can kill you too.

I'm not saying I'd let any of my pets share my french onion soup, but that I'm not too worried if Jasper really wants to share my pasta with marinara.
 
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Anne & Gang

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I know that they are toxic to tiels, canaries and budgies...raw...so I dont take a chance..I believe in that amount and in that type of food they would be well cooked
 

Birdbabe

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I also have read, heard that they are toxic. Best safe than sorry in my opinion.
 

jamie

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Onions can cause "hemolytic anemea" in dogs and cats- however the exact amount required to cause problems is a function of the animals weight.

Toxins that Affect Dogs - Veterinary Information
Onion and Garlic Toxicity in Dogs And Cats

Q: Dr. Richard's, Thank you for your help with past questions and creating this web site. I have a question about onions and dogs. I read somewhere onions are poisonous for dogs yet onions are often ingredients in dog treats. Is it just raw onions that are so dangerous? What about meat that has been cooked with onions is this dangerous? What are some things that are toxic for dogs besides chocolate and onions? Also I own several cats are there foods toxic to them as well?

Kim

A: Kim-

Dogs develop hemolytic anemia if they eat enough onions. I don't think that it matters too much whether the onions are cooked or not. The quantity of onions required is high enough that dogs can generally tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of onion without clinically apparent disease, even though there may be measurable changes on lab test results. Cats are probably a little more sensitive to onion toxicity than dogs are. I can't find an exact quantity of onions required to cause toxicity problems in dogs, but there are several case reports of onion toxicity and they involve whole onions or sizable portions of chopped onions (like a cup or more). I think that feeding dogs meat that has been cooked with onions is pretty safe but you might want to avoid giving them the broth from around something like pot-roast if there were a lot of onions used in the cooking, just to be safe.

Large amounts of garlic will produce similar toxicity problems in both dogs and cats. I think that the amount required is not likely to be eaten by a cat but there are probably a few dogs who would lap up a container of spilled garlic.

Among common foods, the only other significant toxicity that I can think of are recent reports of toxicity from eating grapes and raisins that have been reported in dogs.

Mike Richards, DVM
11/15/2001
I've asked my veterinarian about onions and birds. He said that no one really knows how much is too much. The small amount in that product is unlikely to cause any problems. However, if your bird eats a whole onion or a large quantity of onions then you will likely see a problem.

I would (and do) avoid feeding them to my birds. Some people do use small amounts of garlic as a nutritional supplement. I agree with Sharpie- an occasional nibble is fine, but onions should not be a regular part of your birds' diet.
 
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jamie

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Some information pertaining directly to birds from ExoticPetVet.net:

Top Ten Bird Killers

Onions can cause a fatal hemolytic anemia in dogs and cats, but since birds' red blood cells have a nucleus, this may protect the cells from the severe injury that occurs in other species. However, until this topic is studied, it is best to not feed onions to birds.
 

Thugluvgrl187

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Thanks for the info Jamie :)
 

KimKimWilliamson

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A side note, I do know from my Pet First aid course that it actually takes 5 Pounds of Dark Chocolate and 10 Pounds of Milk Chocolate to KILL or seriously affect a 60 Pound dog!! Crazy huh! I had always thought it was less! I cried for a half hour when my Staffy ate a foiled easter egg once! LOL
 

Sharpie

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Not to pop the bubble of euphoria, but I'm pretty sure the amount needed is not quite that big. I know a border collie who ate a bag of chocolate chips and I remember that he was well over the amount of theobromine (the toxic principle in chocolate) needed to make him seriously ill or die were he not treated. But you're right in a sense- one chocolate chip, a foil egg, or muffin probably isn't going to kill an average sized dog.
 

jmfleish

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On the chocolate, it's also going to depend on who made it. Real chocolate such as the imported swiss chocolate are going to be much more of an issue than say, Nestle's chocolate that is made in the US.

As for onions, I agree, a small amount probably won't hurt them and cooking will make it even safer but I wouldn't go out and feed an entire onion to my birds!:)
 

zoomama

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That has been helpful. I didn't realize there might be a problem with garlic too. I actually made an appointment with Dr. Burkett for Risa's first vet check, so I'll ask him about it, and post back here what he says, just as an FYI. Thanks everyone.
 

jmfleish

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Garlic is actually fine, in moderation. It's a great natural antibiotic. About a clove a week is considered ok and you can even leave the paper on it.
 

harrisons

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1 - Dr. Burkett (and Missy) rocks!
2 - my bulldog used to find a way to get into raw onions whenever he could and it only took about one small slice to make him sick for 12 straight hours.
 
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