K9sOverCoffee | Garlic for dogs IS good after all/ How much to feed & more

Garlic for Dogs IS Good After All: Can Dogs Eat Garlic & How Much to Feed

Garlic for dogs is a hotly debated topic among dog lovers, and I’m glad to have done my research on it!

Youโ€™ve probably all seen lists of human foods that are OK to share with our pups, and those that arenโ€™t.

I created one of those lists myself, and listed garlic in the โ€œnot safe to shareโ€ category, along with onions.

Obviously, that was before I learned that small amounts of garlic are safe AND beneficial to feed to our pups.

All about garlic for dogs and yes, it's safe

Disclaimer: This blog post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated in 2023. It contains affiliate links I may earn compensation through at no additional cost to you. 

How I Learned That Garlic Is Safe For Dogs

I once went to pick up some more of Dr. Harveyโ€™s dehydrated grain-free Premix Veg-to-Bowl I had been using for my pupsโ€™ raw dog food meals. The store happened to be out of it, so I searched for similar products and found a bag of Sojos pre-mix.

It wasnโ€™t until I was home that I noticed that it had garlic on the ingredient list. I was confused when I saw that ingredient since I thought that it’s toxic for dogs.

However, I figured that the brand wouldn’t include a toxic ingredient in its food, and started doing some research.

While I did, I came across a tweet by Darwinโ€™s Natural Pet Products. They’re a raw dog food brand Iโ€™ve ordered from on and off since 2015 when I made the switch from kibble to raw dog food:

K9sOverCoffee.com | Is garlic for dogs good?

The article Darwinโ€™s linked to was written by Dr. Deva Khalsa for the publication Dogs Naturally Magazine. Dr. Khalsa has practiced a blend of holistic & traditional veterinary medicine for over 25 years.

Fun fact: I received my certificate as a raw dog food nutrition specialist from Dogs Naturally Magazine in early 2020!

Certified Raw Dog Food Nutrition Specialist Certificate of Completion

What Convinced Me That Garlic Is Good For My Dogs

I am not going to summarize her article here, but I do recommend you head over there and ready it yourself!

I just want to share which part of it I found convincing enough to add the dehydrated pre-mix Sojos, which contains garlic, to my pups’ raw dog food.

Sojos Pre-Mix for Raw Meals

She explained that a 75 lb dog would have to eat 5 complete heads of garlic (or 75 cloves of garlic) in each meal before experiencing adverse effects on his red blood cells.

A 10 lb dog would experience side effects after eating half a head of garlic (i.e. 6-8 garlic cloves) in each meal.

How Much Garlic Can I Feed My Dog?

So the rule of thumb is to let our dogs consume garlic in moderation in order to reap its health benefits – ideally raw garlic.

This makes sense to me, as moderation is key in so many aspects of both K9 and human lives.

In moderation means this: you can feed your dog a small amount of raw garlic, specifically 1/3 of a teaspoon of garlic per 10 lbs of body weight per day.

Now, I don’t know how much garlic is in the 2 lb bag of Sojos pre-mix, but since it appeared towards the very bottom of the ingredient list (15th out of 17 ingredients), I felt that it must be safe to consume. And it was!

Healthy Garlic in Sojos Pre-Mix

The ingredients on any bag or can of dog food are always listed in descending order, meaning that the first few ingredients are the most prevalent ones in the respective food.

Update 2019: Sojos updated its formula and no longer adds garlic. For a list of dehydrated dog food mixes that contain garlic, see the bottom of this blog post.

Did you know? Garlic contains thiosulphate. It’s a substance that can cause liver damage & death when consumed in large quantities.

Benefits Of Garlic For Dogs

Garlic has anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-cancer benefits for dogs. As such, it supports healthy digestion and helps strengthen your dog’s immune system.

Allicin is the major biologically active component of garlic and responsible for the plethora of garlicโ€™s health benefits.

However, Allicin only occurs in crushed or finely chopped fresh garlic, but not in the untouched clove.

How Much Garlic Can I Give My Dog For Fleas?

I was delighted to learn that garlic for dogs also helps prevent flea infestations!

Combined with Wondercide’s Flea, Tick & Mosquito Spray for Dogs (& Cats), it’s effective.

Just FYI, I no longer use chemical pest preventatives on my dogs since Missy’s cancer scare which prompted me to make the switch to raw dog food in the first place.

How much garlic can I give my dog for fleas?

You can feed your dog the same amount of garlic I mentioned earlier:

1/3 of a teaspoon of fresh garlic per 10 lbs of body weight per day.

How To Feed Your Dog Garlic

Thereโ€™s two easy options to serve fresh garlic to your pup.

You can either top their meals off with some freshly chopped or crushed raw garlic, or you can feed a food that has garlic on its ingredient list.

Spoiler alert: You’ll definitely get more health benefits if you feed raw, fresh garlic, but I understand that not everyone may be comfortable with that.

Garlic for dogs -  Adding Freshly Minced Garlic To My Raw Dog Food
Adding minced, fresh garlic to raw dog food
Garlic in moderation is healthy for dogs. It has anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-cancer properties. It's also a natural flea deterrent.
Raw dog food featuring Atlantic salmon, duck head, secreting organ mix Monstermash, blueberries, and crushed raw garlic

When Not to Feed Your Dog Garlic

As with everything in life, there are a few exceptions to the rule.

Since garlic can interfere with certain medications, don’t feed garlic if your dog is on:

  • Immune suppressants
  • Heart medicine
  • Chemotherapy
  • Blood thinners
  • Insulin
  • Antacids
  • High blood pressure meds

You also shouldn’t feed garlic to pregnant dogs and to puppies under 6 months of age, and don’t give your dog garlic 2 weeks before surgery.

Freeze-Dried Dog Foods With Garlic

The following freeze-dried raw dog foods all feature garlic on their ingredient lists.

Grandma Lucyโ€™s Artisan Dog Food – With (Sweet) Potatoes

Including their pre-mix for raw or cooked diets.

Comes in:

  • Chicken. Ingredients: Chicken, Potatoes, Flax, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Blueberries, Cranberries, Garlic, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Phosphorous, Zinc Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Potassium Chloride, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Magnesium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement.
  • Pork. Ingredients: Pork, Potatoes, Flax, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Bananas, Blueberries, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Garlic, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Phosphorous, Zinc Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Potassium Chloride, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Magnesium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement.
  • Lamb. Ingredients: Lamb, Potatoes, Flax, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Blueberries, Cranberries, Garlic, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Phosphorous, Zinc Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Potassium Chloride, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Magnesium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement.
  • Venison. Ingredients: Venison, Potatoes, Flax, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Bananas, Blueberries, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Garlic, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Phosphorous, Zinc Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Potassium Chloride, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Magnesium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Grandma Lucyโ€™s Pureformance Dog Food – With Chickpeas

Including their pre-mix for raw or cooked diets:

Comes in: 

  • Chicken. Ingredients: Chicken, Chickpeas, Flax, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Bananas, Blueberries, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Papaya, Spinach, Garlic, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Phosphorous, Zinc Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Potassium Chloride, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Magnesium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement.
  • Lamb. Ingredients: Lamb, Chickpeas, Flax, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Bananas, Blueberries, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Papaya, Spinach, Garlic, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Phosphorous, Zinc Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Potassium Chloride, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Magnesium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement.
  • Rabbit. Ingredients: Rabbit, Chickpeas, Flax, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Bananas, Blueberries, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Papaya, Spinach, Garlic, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Phosphorous, Zinc Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Potassium Chloride, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Magnesium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Smallbatch Chicken Dog Food

Ingredients:

  • Chicken
  • Chicken backs
  • Skinless chicken necks
  • Chicken livers
  • Chicken hearts
  • Chicken gizzards
  • Organic yams
  • Organic carrots
  • Organic squash
  • Organic broccoli
  • Salmon oil
  • Organic apple cider vinegar
  • Organic kale
  • Organic collards
  • Mixed tocopherols
  • Organic kelp
  • Organic parsley
  • Organic bee pollen
  • Organic bilberry
  • Organic wheatgrass
  • Organic garlic
  • Organic rosemary
  • Organic basil
  • Vitamin E supplement

Smallbatch Beef Dog Food

Ingredients:

  • Beef hearts
  • Beef livers
  • Beef kidneys
  • Beef bones
  • Organic yams
  • Organic carrots
  • Organic squash
  • Organic broccoli
  • Salmon oil
  • Organic apple cider vinegar
  • Organic kale
  • Organic collards
  • Mixed tocopherols
  • Organic kelp
  • Organic parsley
  • Organic bee pollen
  • Organic bilberry
  • Organic wheatgrass
  • Organic garlic
  • Organic rosemary
  • Organic basil
  • Vitamin E supplement

Smallbatch Lamb Dog Food

Ingredients:

  • Lamb
  • Lamb hearts
  • Lamb necks (including bone)
  • Lamb livers
  • Lamb spleens
  • Organic butternut squash
  • Organic celery
  • Organic bok choy
  • Organic cauliflower
  • Organic green beans
  • Organic dandelion greens
  • Salmon oil
  • Organic apple cider vinegar
  • Mixed tocopherols
  • Organic cilantro
  • Organic kelp
  • Organic bee pollen
  • Organic bilberry
  • Organic wheatgrass
  • Organic garlic
  • Organic thyme
  • Vitamin E supplement

Smallbatch Duck Dog Food

Ingredients:

  • Duck (including bones)
  • Duck hearts
  • Duck gizzards
  • Duck liver
  • Organic butternut squash
  • Organic celery
  • Organic bok choy
  • Organic cauliflower
  • Organic green beans
  • Organic dandelion greens
  • Salmon oil
  • Organic apple cider vinegar
  • Mixed tocopherols
  • Organic cilantro
  • Organic kelp
  • Organic bee pollen
  • Organic bilberry
  • Organic wheatgrass
  • Organic garlic
  • Organic thyme
  • Organic oregano
  • Vitamin E supplement

Smallbatch Pork Dog Food

Ingredients:

  • Pork
  • Pork hearts
  • Pork livers
  • Pork kidneys
  • Pork bones
  • Organic butternut squash
  • Organic celery
  • Organic bok choy
  • Organic cauliflower
  • Organic green beans
  • Organic dandelion greens
  • Salmon oil
  • Organic apple cider vinegar
  • Mixed tocopherols
  • Organic kelp
  • Organic bee pollen
  • Organic bilberry
  • Organic wheatgrass
  • Organic garlic
  • Organic thyme
  • Organic oregano
  • Vitamin E supplement

Smallbatch Turkey Dog Food

Ingredients:

  • Turkey
  • Turkey necks
  • Turkey livers
  • Turkey hearts
  • Turkey gizzards
  • Organic butternut squash
  • Organic celery
  • Organic bok choy
  • Organic cauliflower
  • Organic green beans
  • Organic dandelion
  • Salmon oil
  • Organic apple cider vinegar
  • Mixed tocopherols
  • Organic kelp
  • Organic cilantro
  • Organic bee pollen
  • Organic bilberry
  • Organic wheatgrass
  • Organic garlic
  • Organic thyme
  • Organic oregano
  • Vitamin E supplement

Dehydrated Dog Foods With Garlic

The Honest Kitchenโ€™s base mix Kindly. That’s their grain-free veggie, nut, and seed base mix.

Also the Honest Kitchenโ€™s grain-free line of dehydrated foods, but only their chicken recipe and fish recipe features garlic on the ingredient list.

THK Grain-Free Chicken

Ingredients:

  • Dehydrated chicken
  • Flaxseed
  • Dehydrated potatoes
  • Dehydrated sweet potatoes
  • Dried apples
  • Dehydrated celery
  • Dehydrated honey
  • Dehydrated pumpkin
  • Dehydrated cabbage
  • Dried bananas
  • Dried papayas
  • Dehydrated green beans
  • Dried basil
  • Dried organic kelp
  • Dried garlic
  • Minerals
  • Taurine
  • Vitamins

THK Grain-Free Fish

Ingredients:

  • Dehydrated white fish
  • Dehydrated sweet potatoes
  • Dehydrated eggs
  • Dehydrated pumpkin
  • Dried organic coconut
  • Dried bananas
  • Dried apples
  • Dehydrated cabbage
  • Dried parsley
  • Dried cranberries
  • Dehydrated salmon
  • Dried garlic
  • Minerals
  • Taurine
  • Vitamins

THK Whole Grain Turkey

Ingredients:

  • Dehydrated turkey
  • Organic oats
  • Dehydrated potatoes
  • Flaxseed
  • Dehydrated carrots
  • Dehydrated cabbage
  • Dried apples
  • Dehydrated honey
  • Dried organic kelp
  • Dried garlic
  • Minerals
  • Taurine
  • Vitamins

Garlic For Dogs: Bottom Line

Garlic has a plethora of health benefits for dogs and can easily be added to dog food.

To get the most health benefits, it’s best to feed your dog fresh, raw garlic. When you do, remember not to exceed 1/3 of a teaspoon of garlic per 10 lbs of body weight per day.

However, there are a few freeze-dried and dehydrated dog food brands that add garlic to their recipes, so that’s a good alternative to fresh garlic for dogs.

Please leave your comments or questions in the section below the post!

K9sOverCoffee.com | Garlic for dogs IS good after all: How much to feed & more

Related Reading:

Raw Dog Food Game Changers

BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK RAW DOG FOOD

Save 15% on anything at Raw Paws Pet Food with code K9Savings. They’re located in Indiana and ship nationwide within the US.

BEST VARIETY FOR INDIVIDUAL CUTS OF RAW MEAT

Save 10% on your first order of anything at Raw Feeding Miami with this referral link.

BEST SLOW FEEDER FOR RAW FED DOGS

Mighty Paw’s Slow Feed Insert combined with Yeti’s Boomer 4 Dog Bowl. Both are top rack dishwasher safe.

BEST FOUNDATION FOR BALANCED DIY RAW MEALS

Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Base Mix. It’s low-carb which is particularly great for dogs on a keto diet and those with health issues like diabetes and cancer.

(Visited 1,227 times, 1 visits today)

Barbara launched her blog K9sOverCoffee in 2014 and has been feeding her dogs raw dog food since 2015. As a former professional dog walker, she’s passionate about balancing species-appropriate exercise with healthy dog nutrition. Barbara is raw dog food nutrition certified from “Dogs Naturally Magazine” and the author of several e-books about minimally processed, balanced raw dog food.


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18 responses to “Garlic for Dogs IS Good After All: Can Dogs Eat Garlic & How Much to Feed”

  1. MilitaryWifeandPugLife Avatar

    I did not! Great article!

  2. Kate Obrien Avatar
    Kate Obrien

    You are right that moderation is key, I used to give our Sally raisins almost everyday…just a few, but almost daily. She never had any problems from it.

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Goes to show how important moderation is! If only more people applied that concept, we’d have much less fat dogs in the US!

  3. Elaine Avatar

    Thanks for clearing this up, Barbara! I’ve been wondering about this since seeing so many recipes and advice about garlic for flea prevention too. Haley was disappointed though, she was really hoping the article would say chocolate in moderation is good for dogs, haha! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Aww, sorry Haley girl, I wish I could write an article about chocolate being good for dogs, but I don’t think that’ll happen anytime soon…on second thought, that means I won’t have to share any chocolate with my pups…more for me!!

      I had not heard about garlic being used for flea prevention until very recently. Makes me want to crush a ton of garlic and spray it on our lawn ๐Ÿ˜‰

  4. Lindsay Stordahl Avatar
    Lindsay Stordahl

    Interesting about the garlic in moderation. That makes sense! I’ve never actually given Ace garlic, but I bet it’s been included in some of the dog food brands I’ve purchased. We will most likely be trying Sojos. You’ll have to let me know what your pups thought. ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Doesn’t it? I’ve never given the pups garlic either, although they always pay very close attention whenever I’m peeling & crushing/pressing it for us in the kitchen! Now that I know it’s ok to share some, the pups will be in for a little vampire-offending treat every now and then ๐Ÿ˜‰
      I’ll let you know about Sojos for sure ~ so far, so good!

  5. De Hufford Avatar

    I have heard that before. Moderation is important!

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Ditto! That concept really applies to so many aspects in life.

  6. Jan K, Wag N Woof Pets Avatar
    Jan K, Wag N Woof Pets

    There’s been so much conflicting information on this, I’m glad to get some clear answers! I believed garlic was OK in moderation though. Only Natural Pet sells garlic tabs as a flea preventative and we did use them for a while. I trusted that company (as I would Sojo’s) not to be selling me something that could harm my dogs. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious, but many things are blown out of proportion. I would never give my dogs grapes now but we used to give them to our first 2-3 dogs all the time, and never had an issue. Better safe than sorry is a good way to go, but it would be a shame to miss out on the benefits of garlic because of misinformation.

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      I definitely always apply the “better safe than sorry” concept, especially as far as our pups are concerned, but you are so right about not wanting to miss out on the wonderful health benefits of garlic!
      You and Elaine from ChasingDogTales are both familiar with garlic being used as a flea preventative! I’ve looked into natural pest preventatives lately, but completely missed garlic in that category!

  7. Beverly Avatar

    Fantastic article. There has been so much info out there to push people away from natural remedies and on to chemical remedies for their dogs. Pet pharmaceuticals is big business! I’ve always given my dogs garlic (in moderation, of course) to repel fleas, and have never had an infestation. Saves me over $60/month in flea protection! Thanks for sharing!

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Thanks so much for the great feedback and for stopping by, Beverly! Using garlic as a natural, EFFECTIVE, flea deterrent seems to be the way to go ~ just added a little crushed garlic to the pups’ dinner last night, and felt really good about it ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. bailey unleashed Avatar

    our vet recommended adding garlic powder to the pot when i cook veggies for our dogs. i know he would not steer us in the wrong direction, so i’m not afraid to add a dash of garlic when cooking for our dogs.
    i also just noticed garlic in the ingredient list of rocco & roxie’s jerky treats.

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      It sounds like you have a wonderful, knowledgeable vet! I can’t wait to move to a more urban area again in order to start taking our pups to a holistic veterinarian. I’m so over the chemicals that are being prescribed by traditional vets.
      Which brand of jerky treats do you feed Rocco & Roxie? I may check them out, too ๐Ÿ˜‰

      1. bailey unleashed Avatar

        Rocco & Roxie is the brand of jerky that I give Bailey ๐Ÿ™‚

        1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

          Haha, ok, well I totally misread that ๐Ÿ˜‰ Sorry, Bailey!

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