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A number of years ago my dad's dog got really sick and died after eating a rutabaga.

The vet told us it was toxic to dogs, but it seems to not be listed in this and in my googling just now after not seeing it, I find that it's generally regarded "a safe healthy treat for dogs"...

I'm curious if the Internet is wrong or if maybe the vet was wrong and my dad's dog may have just had some sort of allergy




Remember that toxicity is relative. You can (and do) eat arsenic and cyanide in your everyday life. You will only die if you eat n amount of it.

Lots of plants are apparently toxic for dogs. Garlic, onions, etc. But whereas your poodle might die from one bite, my fat seal of a husky would have to eat an entire clove, or a bag of them. I freaked out when she ate a chocolate bar but she was fine...no incident at all.

Small dogs are most at risk for obvious reasons.


This is a valuable thing to point out. Garlic is toxic to dogs, but a lot of dog treats have garlic and it's not hurting them. In large amounts, it is toxic. But it is stinky even in small amounts, and that's what dogs love about garlic.

Dosage matters.




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