Onion is toxic for dogs
Allium cepa 
Like chives, garlic and wild garlic, the onion belongs to the Allium family and is cultivated in gardens or in agriculture for human consumption. It is the bulb that grows underground that is edible for humans. The leaves of the plant grow from the bulb, they are long, leathery and green. The spherical flowers are white-pink.
All parts of the onion are poisonous to dogs. However, when dried and cooked (with the cooking water drained off) they are slightly less toxic to dogs. Kitchen onions contain disulphides and sulphur compounds that can dissolve the dog's red blood cells. For this to happen, the dog would have to eat quite an amount, about 5 g per kilogram of its own weight.
Onion is also known as:
- bulb onion
- common onion
What should I do if my dog ate Onion?
How toxic is Onion?
| Toxicity: | (toxic) |
| Toxic parts: | All parts of the onion are poisonous to dogs. Dried and cooked, however, they are slightly less toxic for dogs. |
| Toxic time: | winter, spring, summer, autumn |
| Antidote: | Unknown |
If your dog shows symptoms of poisoning, it is always an emergency! Time is critical for your dog's life. You should immediately call your vet or the animal emergency services and make sure that a vet is on site and then go there immediately. For the treatment, it helps the vet a lot to know what your dog has ingested.
Occurrence Onion
| Plant species: | vegetable |
| Occurrence: | Gardens |
| Areas: | Europe |
| Flowering time: | - |
| Fruit ripening: | - |
Symptoms
The following symptoms may occur in case of poisoning with an onion:
- vomiting
- diarrhoea
- weak pulse
- pale mucous membranes
- accelerated breathing
- exhaustion
- excretion of red blood cells in the urine
Note: There are some Japanese dog breeds that are particularly sensitive to the poison of the onion due to a genetic defect. For example, the Akita and the Shiba Inu.
Treatment
The vet will always try to remove the ingested poison from the body and alleviate the specific symptoms of poisoning.
There are different methods to remove the poison from the body:
1. ACTIVATED CHARCOAL: Activated charcoal can absorb toxins. If possible, it should be administered within 2 hours after ingestion of the poison, so that the toxin does not enter the bloodstream.
2. LAXATIVES: The vet may combine the administration of activated charcoal with a laxative.
3. VOMITING: The vet can also induce vomiting using medication to remove the toxin from the body.
In addition, the vet could administer blood transfusions in case of severe anaemia (dissolving of the red blood cells).
More information on dog poisonings can be found here:
Preventing, identifying and treating poisoning in dogs
Further poisonous plants from A to Z
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