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My 13lb chihuahua mix ate about a half cup of chili last night. There were onions in it. I didn't know that he got into it until this morning. Will he be okay?
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Chihuahua Gender: Male Age: 2 Name of Dog: Dexter Already Tried: Nothing
Hello, I'm Dr. Bob.If Dexter isn't showing any signs of a problem at this time, he's probably going to be just fine. Only certain dogs are sensitive to onion and garlic poisoning, and the small amount of onions in a half cup of chili would most likely not bother even a sensitive dog.Watch him for diarrhea and/or vomiting, but if he seems to be feeling well this morning, I would be very surprised to see either of these symptoms.If you should have further quesitons, please let me know.Kindest regards,Dr. Bob
My only concern was the particular chili that he ate had a lot of chopped onions in it. He seems to be acting fine and it's probably been 12 hours since he ate it, but I do hear his stomach making really loud noises, which is unusual for him. I am going out of town in a few hours and won't be back until tomorrow. I neighbor will be coming over to feed my dogs later and let them out for a potty break. Do you think it's safe to do so under the circumstances?
Okay, thank you.The loud stomach noises are usually caused by gas in the stomach or intestines. It could be that the spices in the chili gave him indigestion, but if he's interested in eating, and doesn't seem to feel poorly, I don't think he's going to have a problem.You can give him 1/2 of a Pepto Bismol chewable tablet every four hours for the indigestion, if you think it necessary. A reddish-brown color to his urine can indicate that he's had a reaction to the onions, since the active toxic component of the onion causes a breakdown of the red blood cells and the hemoglobin is eliminated from the body in the urine. If this happens, anemia can become a problem and he may need hospital support and oxygen therapy to help him through the crisis.The toxic dose of onions is 1/2 of 1% of their body Weight, so if Dexter weighs 10 pounds, he would have to eat almost a full ounce of onions to ingest a toxic dose, and more if he weighs more. If I may be of further assistance to you, please let me know.Dr. Bob
Experience: 35 years of veterinary practice in small animal medicine