Hydrogen Injections Help Dogs Recover from Onion Poisoning
- Authors
- Jinghua Zhao, Ming Zhang, Yue Li, Zhiheng Zhang, Mingzi Chen, Tao Liu, Jiantao Zhang, Anshan Shan
- Journal
- Journal of Veterinary Research
- Year
- 2017
- DOI
- 10.1515/jvetres-2017-0068
- Study Type
- Dog
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Onion Poisoning
- Body System
- Hematologic
TL;DR
Injecting hydrogen under the skin may help reduce blood and oxidative damage in dogs poisoned by onions.
Key Finding
Subcutaneous hydrogen injections reduced signs of red blood cell damage and oxidative stress in dogs poisoned with onion powder, while also improving bone marrow's ability to produce new blood cells.
Summary
Researchers gave dogs onion powder to poison them, then treated half the dogs with hydrogen injections under the skin for 12 days while leaving the other half untreated. The hydrogen-treated dogs showed improvements in blood markers related to red blood cell damage and oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules), and their bone marrow produced blood cells more effectively. However, kidney function did not improve in either group.
Practical Takeaway
This is an animal study only and does not directly apply to humans. While the results suggest hydrogen may help counteract certain types of poisoning-related damage in dogs, much more research—including human studies—would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn about hydrogen's therapeutic value for people. The study's relevance to healthy individuals using hydrogen water is unclear.
Abstract
Abstract Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of hydrogen on the therapy of onion poisoned dogs. Material and Methods: A total of 16 adult beagle dogs were divided into two groups (control and hydrogen) and all were fed dehydrated onion powder at the dose of 10 g/kg for three days. The dogs of the experimental group were given subcutaneous injection of 0.2 mL/kg of hydrogen for 12 days after making the poisoned model successful. Blood samples were collected before feeding onions, one day before injecting hydrogen, and 2 h after the injection of hydrogen on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12. Control dogs were not treated with hydrogen. Results: The levels of leukocyte production, anaemia, red blood cell degeneration which was reflected by the values of Heinz body count, haemolytic ratio, and oxidative products in hydrogen treated group were lower than in control dogs on some days. The capacity of medullary haematopoiesis that was based on reticulocyte counts, and the antioxidation in hydrogen group were higher compared with control group. However, the differences in renal function were not obvious in both groups. Conclusion: Accordingly, it was concluded that subcutaneous injection of hydrogen could alleviate the symptoms in onion poisoned dogs.