Are garlic powder and other ingredients in cat pill pockets toxic?

I have a feeling you are thinking of Xylitol, which is a component of many sugarless gum products. This is a highly toxic product that should be avoided at all costs. Xanthan gum, as far as I know, is non toxic to both dogs and cats.

Garlic and onions both have the potential to be toxic, but amount and size of your animal contribute greatly to the toxicity level. The ASPCA poison control is a great resource for toxic chemicals, plants and foods if you would like more information. My suspicion is the dog treats have a very small amount of garlic and it is probably for flavor. I still find it interesting that it would contain it at all and if you were nervous about it I simply would not administer any more of the treats. Some of my favorite treats that I recommend for pet owners are things like dehydrated chicken or turke. Just simple strips of meat that don't contain any preservatives or any additional ingredients. I also like carrots and green beans depending on what your dog is willing to eat. Like with most pet food I try to encourage people to find things with simple, clean ingredients. Just like with our groceries, there are a lot of choices out there and not all are as healthy as the manufacturer would like us to believe.

If it was only a small amount of garlic and onion powder your cats should be fine. Garlic and onion are toxic to cats but usually the dose that they can get from eating small amount of powder or seasoning is not toxic. I would suggest you to monitor your cats over the next 24-48hrs for signs of lethargy and inappetance. If they develop any worrying signs you should take them to your local vets.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I can understand some of your concern here regarding carbomer. There have been some studies evaluating its toxic effects, mainly when used as a gel substrate in eye medications in animals and this is what I was able to find regarding this: Use: Carbomer-based gels significantly extend contact of solutes or suspended solids with the corneal surface Overdosage: Doses up to 1 g/kg PO in dogs x 6 mo resulted in no observable clinical effects and no pathological lesion No toxic effects expected; should signs develop, treatment should be symptomatic Systemic toxicosis not expected due to poor bioavailability So therefore, there are no concerns here when this compound is ingested in animals (dogs or cats). This is typically the case when dealing with over the counter supplements or dental products in general. If toxicity concerns were there, a product would likely require a prescirption and would not be available as an over the counter. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes with your pet Cooper moving forward and her dental care. Take care. : )

I'm sorry to hear that your cat has some elevated liver enzymes. Those medications are not ones that we commonly use in the US, but your vet would not have prescibed them if they were not safe to use. Large amounts of garlic or onion can cause a problem in red blood cells in cats, but garlic oil is generally only a 0.05% solution, so it should not be a concern. Please let me know if that was helpful. I hope your kitty improves soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It does contain good quality ingredients and natural balance is somewhat well-known. However, I would not advice the use of this as it has garlic powder and garlic can be toxic to dogs. Good luck and have a good night!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is unlikely to be an issue in terms of the garlic and onion powder as it was just a bit. This may result though in gastrointestinal upset. Watch your pup for symptoms consistent with gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting, inappetence and/or diarrhea. If these are observed, have your pup evaluated by a veterinarian. Best of luck!