Do Not Feed Your Pets ONIONS
Your pet's digestive enzymes are not the same as your digestive enzymes.
Our bodies DO have the digestive enzyme necessary to digest onions. The digestive systems of some animals, such as dogs, cats and guinea pigs, do NOT have the enzyme necessary to digest onions.
All onions, raw or cooked, are a danger – a poison – to these pets.
We will spare you the details here, but even small amounts of onions cause serious distress to their systems. YOU may or may not notice, depending on the amount ingested and the degree of interaction you have with your pet.
Not noticing is one matter. Causing it is another.
Homemade pet foods are a fascinating choice, but evaluate each recipe with care.
Our latest experiment involved adding mung bean sprouts to our dog’s ‘rice, lentils, carrots and whatnot’ mix. Our dog proceeded to eat everything in her bowl EXCEPT the sprouts, which were licked clean. Since we’ve read that mung bean sprouts (in small portions) are good for dogs, we wonder if she avoided them because they were totally unfamiliar, or what? Wonder what will happen if/when we grind a few and blend them into the ‘rice and whatnot’ mix!
Interesting reading:
(if you are a dog lover and if you lean toward the natural)
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/3_11/features/5054-1.html
Additional reading:
(scientific details concerning how onions poison certain animals)
http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/06/the-dangers-of-onion-toxicity/
http://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-articles/pet-health-toxins/Pets-and-Onions.aspx
Surprise!
I have largely focused on pet dogs.
Dogs are fed leftover people food more routinely than other pets.
No matter what your pet, please use care.
