Garlic is one of the oldest medicines on the planet and has been used throughout human history to treat almost everything from viruses to cancer. While there are some people who do not like the taste of garlic, others swear by it as a natural remedy for many ailments. The benefits of garlic for dogs with cancer are many, learn how to harness this ancient medicine.
Is Garlic for Dogs Safe?
There’s a common misconception that garlic is incredibly dangerous to dogs. Unfortunately, this results in most dogs missing out on garlic’s beneficial properties. These include:
Garlic Induces Apoptosis in Dogs
In a study on garlic’s ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cells, researchers found that this natural supplement was able to cause apoptosis in the cancer cells by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt pathway.
This means that garlic could be used as part of a dog cancer treatment protocol. Further research is necessary before making any definitive statements about its efficacy, but there is enough promise here for us as pet owners to look into using it with our dogs.
Garlic’s Compounds
Garlic contains a compound called allicin that has been shown in studies to kill cancer cells in animals with leukemia, lymphoma, and mammary cancer. But allicin activates an enzyme called AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) which helps prevent cancer cell growth by causing them to die off or enter into a phase of dormancy where they aren’t active enough to cause trouble within the body.
Garlic is an Anti-Inflammatory
Garlic is anti-inflammatory. Many dogs with cancer have a lot of inflammation due to the disease process, and garlic can help reduce that inflammation.
Garlic is antibacterial and antifungal. It can help fight off bacterial infections and fungal infections (like yeast) that are often present in dogs with cancer.
Garlic is antiviral, which means it slows down viruses from replicating themselves and causing damage in their host body. This is especially helpful for viral infections like distemper virus or parvovirus, which are common cancer contributors.
Garlic also has antibacterial properties that can be used against parasites such as ticks and fleas on your dog’s skin surface; there isn’t any research on whether these effects extend into the gut microbiome where most parasites live, but anecdotal evidence suggests garlic does kill some kinds of worm larvae found there too, so it might be worth giving a try if this problem comes up (and always check with your vet before giving any new supplements).
Garlic as an Antibiotic
Garlic is a natural antibiotic and can help your dog fight infections. It’s also effective in boosting the immune system, supporting digestive health, strengthening cardiovascular function, and promoting respiratory health.
It has been shown to kill off viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Garlic also boosts the immune system. When your dog’s body is fighting cancer, their immune system needs to be functioning at its best so it can fight off the cancer cells before they spread through the body.
Garlic has been used for centuries as an anti-cancer agent in both human and animal medicine. In fact, garlic was actually used by Hippocrates himself (the father of modern medicine) almost 2,500 years ago!
In humans, many studies have shown that eating garlic regularly can help prevent cancers like prostate cancer or lung cancer from spreading through your body and cause remission of some types of cancers like breast cancer as well as gastrointestinal tumors such as stomach adenocarcinomas (adenocarcinomas are tumors that arise from glandular epithelium).
If you read about canine and human cancers together, you will notice that the research for both is very similar and often overlaps. That’s why these studies alone are critical findings.
Why Garlic for Dogs Has a Bad Reputation
Despite all of this, garlic has acquired a poor reputation as a result of research on dogs that used far too much garlic.
The study found that if a dog eats a lot of garlic, it can cause severe damage to their red blood cells, leading to a condition known as Heinz body anemia. The study can be found here in the PubMed publication.
According to this study, a 75-pound Golden Retriever would need to ingest roughly 75 garlic cloves per meal to incur unfavorable health impacts. That’s a hefty amount of garlic. The dogs in the study were most likely force-fed the amount of garlic required to hurt them.
75 CLOVES?! How do you think you would feel if you ate even half of that amount?
Adding a Dog Garlic Supplement to the Diet
You should chop or mince fresh garlic before preparing your dog’s meal to get the maximum benefit of garlic.
Then wait about 10-15 minutes for the garlic’s full effects to manifest.
Garlic should be chopped and placed on (or mixed in) your dog’s food after waiting 15 minutes. Allow no more than 20 minutes to pass because it’s most effective between 15 and 20 minutes.
Do not use store-bought minced garlic; this garlic has been processed and is unhealthy for your dog. The best garlic to use is fresh garlic.
Read More:
Garlic – well-rounded and safe for your practice! | IVC Journal
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