Garlic Pills?

OK , so I was going through some threads looking for stuff and came across one that said something about garlic in Wellness cat food. I am currnetly giving my girl one garlic pill with amino acids in it a day. Is there something wrong with giving cats garlic? I'd always heard it helped keep fleas away. I have her on Frontline Plus, but the past couple years have been bad for fleas, so I figured I could use all the help I could get. Plus, when we found her, her coat was terrible and the amino acids helped to give it a nice healthy shine. Is the garlic bad? Another (stupid) question... I was cutting up chicken the other night for dinner and dropped a piece on the floor, well guess who got it and ate it before I could respond. Will this harm her in any way? It did have a bone in it. Thats what I'm worried about.

Okay, the badness of the amount of garlic, if there is any in Wellness cat food is still being debated. There is not much in it, and maybe it is a mistake on the label.

However, onions are toxic to cats, in very small amounts. And garlic has the same chemical composition as onion, they are in the same family, etc. There are much better ways to keep fleas off of your cat. If garlic does what onions do, and there is enough out there that I am personally convinced it does, it causes red blood cells to die, makes weird little things in the bloodstream, and causes a serious form of anemia which can be fatal. So, I will not say that you are definitely poisoning your cat, but you might be. And there isn't really any reason to chance it.

As for the chicken, if it was raw there is no problem. If it was cooked, the problem is that the bone may splinter.

Jinx, dawnofsierra.

Garlic is toxic to cats, and shouldn't be given, especially the high amount you're giving. It isn't effective against either fleas or ticks; that's an old wives' tale. For a healthy coat, you could try a salmon oil capsule in place of the garlic. Was the chicken bone cooked or raw? If the latter, you shouldn't have to worry, but do keep an eye on your kitty if it was a cooked, brittle bone.

http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/pets/816

Garlic and other foods in the onion family can be dangerous for our kitties because they contain a compound which is toxic to the red blood cells of cats. The red blood cells are destroyed, resulting in a dangerous form of anemia known as Heinz body anemia. I recommend avoiding food containing this ingredient and strongly advise against continuing your little girl's garlic supplementation.

As for your second issue, not at all foolish to ask. Chicken bones are especially dangerous to our kitties because they can splinter, become a choking hazard, and have a potential to cause damage to the GI track. If it's been several nights and your little girl has had no unusual symptoms such as upset tummy, lethargy, hiding, and is continuing to eat well act like herself, there will most likely not be a problem. If you suspect she may be ill in any way, you will surely have her straight to her Vet's for an exam. I'm sure you will remember this in the future, and it's a great lesson to all of us to ensure our kitties do not gain access to chicken bones.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Jinx, dawnofsierra.

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We sure did post at the same second, didn't we! I messed up our jinx, though, and accidentally deleted my post trying to edit spelling, so now I've had to put it up again a couple of posts down!

Even though I feed Wellness wet food I don't think I would give garlic tablets to a cat. There always seems to be a focus on garlic in Wellness food, I have also seen it on the list of ingrediants in Nature's Prairie canned food and on a list for one of the foods from Evanger's

You have gotten some great advice and links ... I talked about garlic with my vet and she Said NO for the cats in any amount but yes for the dog

Garlic and onions are just as dangerous for dogs, and cause the same type of anemia.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Garlic and onions are just as dangerous for dogs, and cause the same type of anemia.

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That is what I have read and am inclinded to agree ... The vet told be that in dogs it was a myth.. got some good articles???

Originally Posted by sharky

That is what I have read and am inclinded to agree ... The vet told be that in dogs it was a myth.. got some good articles???

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Jennifer, remember the 2005 toxicology report link I posted last year when it first came out? It was for both dogs and cats. If you need that report link again let me know. It was called something like Allium species poisoning in dogs and cats.

The one I posted yesterday in the thread about Wellness was mainly about dogs, also: http://www.nssvet.org/student/refere...ettech_424.pdf (It is a pdf).

Okay, it appears that those forum-installed ... in the middle stays when you try to go to the page.

This works:
http://www.nssvet.org/student/
There are two options. One is an article called "Onion Breath" which is the one I wanted to link to. Clicking that one opens the pdf. I hope it works this time!

Can you recheck that url? The link you gave comes up as page not found.

Here is the link I've posted previously, on many occasions.

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer...c_publications the report is a pdf so you will need Adobe Acrobat's free reader installed. Scroll down to the August 2005 report titled: Allium Species Poisoning in Dogs and Cats.

Pat & Alix, yours is the third one down, right? "Allium Species Poisoning in Dogs and Cats"?

That is a really great resource, I've bookmarked it for future ref. Thanks!
Oh, and I fixed mine in my other post.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Pat & Alix, yours is the third one down, right? "Allium Species Poisoning in Dogs and Cats"?

That is a really great resource, I've bookmarked it for future ref. Thanks!
Oh, and I fixed mine in my other post.

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Yes, thank you...off to read your link I am always looking for another article to have when debating this. Many pet retailers do not agree with me, and sell treats and supplement and foods containing garlic.

That's a good article! I've got the url now in my file of articles on garlic

Thank you everybody! I had no idea! I will be going out to the pet store tomarrow to find a new amino acid formula for my baby. I have also emailed some of the links to my parents for thier dog, as they give her three of the exact same pills a day per the bottle. As for the chicken, it was raw and she doesn't seem to be acting any different, she still has a vey busy day of napping by the sliding glass door, and then going over to the cat tower and napping up there and back again. Again Thank You!!!!!