Can Dogs Eat Onion Rings? When it is or isn’t an Emergency

How dangerous the ingestion of onion rings is to dogs will depend on a number of factors like the number of onion rings the dog ate and the dog’s body weight.

Why onion rings are unsafe for dogs

You may already know about the dangers of dogs eating onions and other vegetables in the allium family. Cooking the onions doesn’t make them any safer for your pet. The ‘toxic’ compounds in the onion may lead to damage in your dog’s body, specifically with the red blood cells.

There are also the other ingredients used to make the onion rings, such as sparkling water, flour, and cooking oil. Onion rings are quite oily and fatty. The regular consumption of such foods can introduce serious health problems down the road, including inflammatory disorders like pancreatitis. Nothing good comes out of letting your dog eat onion rings, even if it’s a small piece.

What to do if our dog ate onion rings

Timing and how you react is important. First, find out how many pieces of onion rings the dog ate. For example, a large adult dog weighing 80 to 90 pounds may end up being fine if he only ate one or two pieces of onion rings. The smaller the dog, the lesser the amount of onion rings it takes to reach toxicity.

Given the potential dangers, we would play it safe and call the clinic. The vet will be able to better advise whether further examination is needed. You could also use an online service like Vetster if the local clinic is out of hours. Keep in mind that it can take a while before the toxicity takes hold.