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Onion
dog severe
Go to the vet immediately — don't wait for symptoms.
cat unknown
Severity not yet documented — when in doubt, call your vet or animal poison control.
- Severity
- moderate_to_severe
- Size_example
- ~100 g of onion (about half a medium onion) is a toxic dose for a 20 kg (44 lb) dog
- Signs
- delayed 1-5 days, hemolytic anemia, weakness, pale gums, red/brown urine, vomiting
- Notes
- One of several cultivated Allium species (with garlic, leeks, chives, and shallots) that share the same oxidative-damage toxicity mechanism (organosulfoxides / n-propyl disulfide), causing hemolytic anemia. See the "Allium (the onion genus)" entry for the group overview. Garlic is 3–5x more potent per gram than onion — see the Garlic entry.
- Dose_concern
- >0.5% of body weight (~5 g/kg) eaten in one sitting or cumulatively over time. All forms — raw, cooked, dried, or powdered — are toxic; powdered/concentrated forms (e.g. onion powder in seasoning blends, broth, or baby food) are more concentrated per gram than fresh onion.
- Raw Severity
- moderate_to_severe
- Name
- Onion
- Clinical Signs
- vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, difficulty breathing, rapid heart beat, refusal to eat, and oral/esophageal/gastric pain.
- Scientific_name
- Allium cepa
- Toxic_agents
- organosulfoxides (n-propyl disulfide)
- Category
- Food
- Toxic Dose Summary
- for dogs, >0.
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Source: Compiled from standard veterinary toxicology references (ASPCA APCC, Pet Poison Helpline, Merck Veterinary Manual) · view original