The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says it has no issues with garlic being used in a dog food sold in supermarkets.
The ministry was responding to concerns raised by Cambridge resident Emile Valkenborg about the presence of garlic in Wag rice and garlic dog roll.
Jeff Roby says he is certain the dog food with garlic is safe for dogs like Bailey.
“We note that garlic is known to cause toxicity in animals including dogs, cats and livestock,” a response from one of the ministry’s senior advisers said.
“However, the development of toxicity depends on the quantity and the form (processed vs raw) of garlic ingested by the animal.”
The response said information provided by Butch Pet Foods Limited indicated the quantity of garlic used would result in a feeding rate below the 56mg garlic/kg body weight the National Research Council suggests can be considered safe in dogs.
When the issue was raised in January Butch company representative Jeff Roby told The News garlic was a beneficial addition and the company had used it for decades.
“I’m certain that it is safe,” he said.
Valkenborg questioned the response and noted a rival dog food company had taken the view no level of garlic was safe.
He said there was a lack of up to date data to support the safety of garlic in determining what level of garlic was safe for dogs and suggested “educated guesses” were being made.
“This is one of the reasons it is safest not to give your dog human food leftovers from your dinner, as many meals contain garlic in some form,” he said
See: Garlic fine, says company
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