This is a topic that most pet owners are likely unaware of, and an event today reminded me of that.
My receptionist came back from lunch, and almost in passing asked me if onions are dangerous to cats. She had taken an onion off her hamburger and laid it on the counter since she doesn't like onions. Her cat jumped up and quickly ate it. She didn't think anything about it at the time, and almost didn't ask me. I had her immediately go back home, get her cat, and bring him in.
As soon as she arrived back at the hospital, I placed a feeding tube down his esophagus and gave him about 48cc of hydrogen peroxide. This is what we commonly give to induce vomiting, which he did within a few minutes. When a toxin is ingested, if you can get to the pet within about 60 minutes, you can often get them to throw it up and prevent absorption. You should never do this with caustic substances, but for many poisons and objects it works well.
Goober (yes, that's his name) threw up the food he had eaten, as well as several large pieces of onions. He was acting perfectly normal, though he was VERY unappreciative about having a rubber tube forced down his throat. We were able to get what appeared to be all of the onion out of his stomach before it passed, and I think he will be fine. If she hadn't brought him in quickly, we could have been dealing with a serious or fatal situation in a few days.
Why the big worry? Onions are very toxic to cats. Potentially fatally toxic, in fact. They cause abnormalities in the red blood cells leading to their destruction and severe anemia (called Heinz body anemia due to the structure created within the blood cells), and can also cause kidney failure. This can happen relatively quickly, and with only a small amount of onion. It has been known to happen after cats ate baby food with onion powder as an ingredient. Garlic is in the same plant family, and can cause the same toxicity. Cats have died from people giving them garlic tablets as a way to prevent fleas (which garlic does NOT do, and has been studied scientifically). These plants are also potentially toxic to some dogs, but the risk is nowhere nearly as serious as with cats.
So keep all of this in mind. NEVER give your cats anything with any onions or garlic in them. This is a very serious toxicity, and requires intense hospitalization and even blood transfusions once symptoms begin.
Good to know! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm here for! :)
ReplyDeleteI know that onions are not good for dogs. But what if you use tomato sauce that was made with onions (it's a thin, consistent sauce - no onions present but was cooked with onions during preparation). Is that safe to use?
ReplyDeleteI make lots of dog treats for my dog and his buddies and just checking on whether I can use some homemade tomato sauce in a I normally bake.
Thanks!
No. Read the article. Baby food with onion powder isn't OK so why would homemade tomato sauce with onions in be OK?
DeleteWe live on a sailboat in Mexico. Over the last 5 days I've been feeding our 13 year old cat some cooked chicken & onion & garlic.
ReplyDeleteBy now the food is fully digested.
We do not have access to a Vet.
Is there anything I can do?
I had *no* idea onion & garlic was toxic!
Unfortunately at this point there is nothing you can do but hope for the best. If your cat becomes ill you will need to find a vet immediately, but that may be difficult for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for responding to my comment.
ReplyDeleteTigger does not seem worse for wear.
We will ask around and see about locating an English speaking Vet here in La Paz.
Thanks for being there for us "out here."
Hi my kitten ate some chicken yesterday that was cooked with an onion. No solid onion pieces, but the chicken was stuffed with it so it did taste like onion... Now she just threw up and I'm worried, but the food would be digested by now. Some advice would be appreciated!!
ReplyDeleteHi, my cat Mickey was given some tuna mixed with onions and mayo about five days ago and has been very weak since then, he also doesn't eat so we took him to the vet where we were told he had worms so he got some medicine for that. He now seems to have recovered somewhat but I know fear he has gone blind :(, he doesn't respond to any visual stimuli and does not move around like he usually does, his head is always turned downwards and he cant find where anything is. PLZ help me
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad to hear, what ever happened to your cat, did he/she go blind or recover?
ReplyDeleteMy cat stuck his head into a shopping bag with a bag of onions in it..A few minutes later his left eye became red and slightly swollen around the eye. Will he be ok? This happened yesterday, Jan 23 2013.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Julie
Onions are most toxic when eaten, but this is not normal. If he is still like this I would recommend taking him to your vet.
ReplyDeleteI feed our chickens and dog Thomas Labs Brewer's Yeast and Garlic Powder to combat fleas and provide health benefits. There are feeding instructions right on the bag for cats, dogs and chickens. Is garlic powder any different? I assume the company did extensive testing before putting out the product.
ReplyDeleteGarlic is similar to onions but not quite as toxic. I would be cautious with them, but the amounts in these products are generally not a problem.
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted that a couple of studies have looked at the supposed flea-repellent effects of garlic and found that it does absolutely nothing. There are no peer-reviewed, published data that show that garlic or brewer's yeast does anything to prevent fleas.
My kitten just stepped in some salsa. I believe I cleaned it all off if him before he had the chance to start cleaning himself. Should I still watch for signs of onion poisoning?
ReplyDeleteWhat about freeze dried onions? My cat MAY have eating some off the top of something I baked tonight.. he was up on the stove licking away when I came in. It has been over an hour already and I don't see signs of panting or anything abnormal. How long does it take for signs to show up and for me to know if I need to take him to the emergency vet?
ReplyDelete