Can you give garlic and green tea to a dog?

Our question this week was:

Dr. Debra – I took in a 9-day-old puppy and tried to save him after all his siblings and mother died. He also died and now all of my dogs are beginning to display a variety of health issues from coughing to what appears to be ringworm all over her body, and little white worms in her stool. Is garlic and green tea a safe dewormer for a pregnant pitt bull?

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Ermilisa Figueroa

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. I'm sorry to hear about the puppy. I'm glad to hear you tried to save the puppy. I'm not sure why the puppy died but if all his siblings and mother died – they could have some congenital or immune problems. I'm sorry to hear that.

If your dogs at home are vaccinated – I would not expect the puppy to transmit disease. The most common problems that a puppy could transmit are parasites (worms) and/or parvovirus.

This pup was too young to have parvo but could possibly transmit it. It is relatively uncommon for adult vaccinated dogs to get it. The common symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea.

I'd recommend having the stool checked for parasites and your dogs dewormed. As far as the skin problem – that is strange. Ringworm is a fungal disease that can be exacerbated by stress. It's possible the puppy could have brought it in to your home.

If the skin problem is due to ringworm – it can be transmitted to you! Make sure you wash your hands well and if you see any lesions – see your doctor. As for your dogs –it might be safest to take them to your vet to see what you are dealing with.

Your last question was… Can you give garlic and green tea to a dog? I guess you can but why would you want to?

Articles that might be helpful to you are Parvoviral Enteritis (Parvo) and Ringworm (Dermatophytosis) in Dogs.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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