well pointsetta is not good but other herbs in moderation, like anything else is fine. of course the dangerous herbs are not good for you or the dog but the ones that you can eat he/she can eat.

I've never been sure about garlic and dogs. I see recipes for homemade dog treats--most contain garlic. But then I see references here and there saying it's bad for them--similar to chocolate.

grr.

And what about garlic chives? or other alliums?

Regarding alliums, well, . . .I know that lots of dog food recipes call for garlic, but I don't know about other alliums. I think that the trick here is that the garlic is cooked rather than eaten raw. I read somewhere that raw onions can be toxic to dogs, so maybe the cooking makes it OK.

oh that makes sense!

I've read that garlic can cause anemia in dogs and cats. I would also stay away from onion, shallots, and chives if you can. I haven't heard about any toxicity with the other common culinary herbs.

You could double-check herb safety by checking out "Dr Kidd's Guide to Herbal Dog Care". (Dr Kidd is a Kansas City area holistic vet who advocates adding herbs to dog's and cat's diets.) You could do an internet search and probably find plenty of info by him as well. If you're still in a reading mood, Juliette de Baircli Levy has been advocating herbs for dogs for a very long time and has a number of books out.

Good luck!

ohhh anemia.

Fortunately, the cats react to chives as though they were smelling rubbing alcohol (they've learned to stay away from me when I'm changing my insulin pump infusion sets because of the stench of rubbing alcohol).

I have always given my dogs garlic and onions from time to time i believe that if giveen in excess garlic or onions may cause anemia because they are natural blood thinners. I have dachshunds and have given them a clove minced in their food several times a week repels fleas and is also generally goos for them. My old dog lived to be 14. Dr Poitcairn has a good book also. Gives all natural herbal and homeopathic remedies.

oh man. I'm back where I started! :D

In the July 2005 issue of The Herb Companion there is an article on PLANT A GARDEN FOR HEALTHY PETS: Herbs and health make a happy combination for animals as well as people. By Randy Kidd, DVM.

I just received it in the mail and am getting ready to read it. It looks very interesting.

Let me know if it has good data, and I'll get a copy.

I just read the article, and it was "general" in the information that it provided, but made me interested enough to want to do more research on the subject.

If I didn't have a subscription to The Herb Companion, I still would buy this issue off the shelf just to use the article as a reference.

I even have planted "Cat Grass" for my dog...he loves it!