I was reading the April edition of Bird Talk magazine and came across something about Garlic and Onion that I have never heard before. I have seen people ask whether or not onion was ok for birds, and I want to say that onion is found in Beak Apetit and possibly other things. I've avoided onion regardless. But I have heard that many people feed garlic to their birds, and was wondering what everyone thought of the following.

(p.46) There is a short discussion of whether or not baby foods are ok to feed birds. The article then says this about garlic and onion:

"Interestingly, some toddler foods contain onion powder and/or garlic powder, to enhance the flavor. Although the amount of these ingredients is not harmful to a human child, there could be enough onion or garlic to cause red blood cells to rupture in avian blood. This condition is called Heinz Body Hemolytic Anemia and occurs when the aromatic sulfur compounds found in onion and garlic cause red blood cells to break apart, which can result in anemia (low red blood cell count)."

I have never heard of this and have heard many people say that garlic is good for birds. I have never fed it, but am curious as to what everyone thinks. There is no mention of cooked vs. raw, but it makes it sound as if onion and garlic are bad regardless.

ive never heard of it...i would like to know the exact numbers for how much of onion and garlic would cause something like that.

for example...broccoli is supposed to help against cancer...but what they dont say is that you have to eat A LOT of broccoli to have the anti-cancer effect that scientists talk about.

I have never fed my birds garlic or onions straight or raw. I do use it alot in cooking, use Beak appetite, and have fed baby foods.
I swear Emma is an Italian Grey.

i don't feed onions at all.... but i came across birdie recipes that use quite some garlic and even some sources that recommend it - i never fed it.... but now i'm sure confused

Yes, my thoughts exactly when I read that

This particular small article was written by "Margaret A. Wissman, DVM, DABVP - Avian Practice, and her husband, Bill Parsons, own Icarus Mobile Veterinary Service. Wissman has written for many professional journals and textbooks and has lectured worldwide on avian and exotic animal medicine. She also performs avian consultations for Antech Diagnostic Labs part time." ---> This is taken from the little blurb at the end of the article.

LMAO its a load of bull.

Birds wont usually eat onions at all and fresh garlic is very good for them.

Been using both for a million years and my birds dont get sick.

John, you've made me feel better, I was starting to panic! I read about chopped garlic being good for birds a while ago, and started using it every once in a while with their "kitchen sink" suppers. They really love it, I've never seen them eat so well. Then I read that warning just now and my heart sank!

Anybody else got info on garlic?

See, what it is, is that the long time bird keepers have been doing things that people find are bad as the years go along. Granted, that is how we learn. 30 years ago, they didnt come with instructions. They dont today, but we have wonderful resources to check and cross reference.

While at a seminar, I asked one of the lecturers, Dr Laurie Hess ABVP specifically about onions being bad considering I had been giving them to birds for years in thier foods. She kinda like smirked and said, no, they are fine, as with lots of other things, in moderation. (cooked)
I had a amazon that LOVED eggplant. that was her favorite dish. Baked/breaded eggplant in red sauce. She ate that for years. Now we hear eggplant is bad....... Is it? I dunno. I never saw anything happen to her becaue of it. She was in good health till she has her strokes.

However, I hope to interview my vet for PC sometime in the future and will be asking for specific questions from you guys for her. IT wont happen untill I am into my new house.

I've always heard to not give onion, but sometimes they will be in a meal that I prepare that Ollie gets some of. She doesn't eat them anyways.

Ollie loves baby food.

Oh geez.... so there is such a thing as Heinz Body anemia (nice generic term for anemias characterized by Heinz bodies in the smears). It is something that you may need to think about in cats (this is the most "plain speak" info I can find...http://www.vet.uga.edu/VPP/CLERK/Tarigo/index.htm) . Cats are lacking an enzyme (why they can't have ibuprofen or aspirin)-- can be seen in dogs who have a similar mutation (see http://www.aspca.org/site/DocServer/vettech_0801.pdf?docID=349). In birds, it has been reported in those who were exposed to oil slicks, and you can find some info/warnings about it for poultry farmers (http://jvdi.org/cgi/reprint/16/4/321.pdf). IMHO, a little bit won't be a problem, if your fids are otherwise healthy and happy!