Story Highlights
- A newly published Australian study found glyphosate in 68% of pet dogs tested, with some urine concentrations nearly 40 times higher than the highest levels previously reported in Australian people.
- Compared with the general human population in Australia, dogs in this study were at 35 times higher risk of glyphosate intake
- Researchers estimated that some dogs were exposed to almost half of the current acceptable daily intake established for humans, raising important questions about long-term health effects.
- Pets are uniquely vulnerable because they spend their lives close to the ground, groom contaminated paws and fur, and often consume foods made with ingredients frequently treated with glyphosate.
- Evidence suggests that glyphosate contributes to oxidative stress, microbiome disruption, liver stress, endocrine disruption, and chronic inflammation.
- Reducing exposure is just as important as supporting detoxification. Fresh food, filtered water, avoiding environmental exposures, and adding targeted nutrients can help support your pet's natural detoxification pathways.
Glyphosate has become the most heavily used herbicide in modern agriculture. It's sprayed on crops, golf courses, residential lawns, school grounds, and in parks. Because of its widespread use, complete avoidance is nearly impossible.
The Study: Australian Dogs Had Widespread Glyphosate Exposure
A study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry on July 1st, 2026, measured glyphosate levels in the urine of pet dogs in Australia.1 Urine samples were collected from 71 healthy dogs throughout Australia to determine whether glyphosate and its primary breakdown product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), could be detected.
The results were startling. Glyphosate was detected in 68% of all dogs tested. AMPA was detected in 13% of dogs. Compared with the general human population in Australia, dogs were at 35 times higher risk of glyphosate intake. The highest glyphosate concentration measured was 49 micrograms per liter, nearly 40 times the highest level previously reported in Australian biomonitoring studies.
Researchers estimated that some dogs were receiving internal glyphosate exposures approaching 145 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day, while total exposures to glyphosate plus AMPA reached approximately 291 micrograms per kilogram per day.
The widespread exposure was consistent regardless of age, breed, sex, living environment, outdoor activity, or diet type. Even the reported health conditions did not significantly predict which dogs carried higher glyphosate levels.
A Daily Source of Toxins That’s Often Overlooked
When people hear the word “glyphosate,” they usually think of weed killers and treated lawns. Surprisingly, one of the most consistent sources of exposure for many pets may be what’s in their food bowl. Researchers evaluating commercial pet foods found ingredients frequently treated with glyphosate during production,2 including oats, wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, and other grains and legumes.
Published analyses have detected glyphosate in dry dog foods at concentrations ranging from non-detectable to approximately 2.1 mg/kg, with soybean-containing diets generally having the highest concentrations because genetically modified soybeans and corn are frequently treated with glyphosate3 . Studies from New York found glyphosate and its primary breakdown product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), in the urine of virtually all cats and dogs tested4, confirming that dietary and environmental exposure is exceedingly common.
Glyphosate and Antibiotic Resistance
A recent study published in Frontiers in Microbiology5 raises another important concern about glyphosate: its potential to fuel antibiotic resistance. Researchers compared bacteria collected from a protected nature reserve, nearby agricultural soils, feedlots, and hospitals to determine whether exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides influenced bacterial survival. They found that highly drug-resistant bacteria from hospitals also survive exposure to glyphosate and to various antibiotics, including critically important drugs used to treat serious infections.
The researchers suggest that repeated environmental exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides may unintentionally select bacteria carrying antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, allowing these organisms to survive and multiply.
Anything that promotes antimicrobial resistance deserves careful attention. Resistant bacteria in soil, water, food, and the environment can ultimately affect wildlife, livestock, companion animals, and people alike, reinforcing the importance of reducing unnecessary chemical exposure whenever possible.
Exposure to Glyphosate for Pets
Dogs experience the world very differently than humans. Their paws constantly contact lawns, sidewalks, soil, and landscaping products. Their noses spend much of the day inches above treated grass. After every walk, they lick those paws clean. Their fur collects environmental residues that are swallowed during routine grooming.
Near-constant exposure from multiple sources slowly builds every single day. Over years, these small exposures accumulate into a toxic burden if the body isn’t doing a daily detox to lighten the load.
For those who don’t already know, glyphosate depletes the body’s glutathione source. Glutathione is known as the master antioxidant. It helps rid the body of toxins. Supplying glutathione to pets exposed to glyphosate gives them a means to detoxify. More glyphosate exposure leads to more free radicals, faster glutathione depletion, and a decreased ability to neutralize oxidative damage.
Glutathione helps neutralize pesticides, heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues, and reactive oxygen species5. Research consistently shows that glutathione levels decline with:
- Age
- Chronic inflammation
- Environmental toxin exposure
This creates a dangerous cycle: the more toxins that are present, the less equipped the body is to eliminate them.
A comprehensive detox strategy supports glutathione in three key ways:
- Direct replenishment with bioavailable forms
- Providing precursors, such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which helps rebuild internal stores
- Supplying glycine, often a limiting amino acid during periods of high toxic burden
When you support glutathione production, maintain healthy bile flow, ensure proper gut binding, and balance the nervous system, detoxification becomes an efficient, daily process. And that’s the key to helping your pet not just survive, but truly thrive.
Cellular Detox and Antioxidant Defense
Every day your pet’s body works tirelessly to transform thousands of chemicals into compounds that can safely leave the body. This sophisticated detoxification system relies on adequate nutrition, healthy mitochondria, sufficient glutathione production, proper bile flow, and functional liver, kidneys, and intestines.
When exposures increase, the demand placed on these systems increases as well. Rather than attempting dramatic "cleanses," I prefer supporting the body's own detoxification pathways continuously.
NAC: One of My Favorite Detoxification Nutrients
If I could choose only a handful of nutrients for supporting healthy detoxification, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) would always make the list.
NAC is the primary precursor for glutathione. Glutathione performs countless essential jobs, including:
- Neutralizing free radicals
- Supporting liver detoxification pathways
- Protecting mitochondria
- Recycling other antioxidants
- Supporting immune function
- Helping remove environmental toxins
The body's ability to handle ongoing toxic exposures declines when glutathione stores become depleted. By providing cysteine, the rate-limiting amino acid required to manufacture glutathione, NAC helps replenish these critical reserves.
Experimental studies investigating glyphosate toxicity have repeatedly demonstrated that NAC reduces oxidative stress markers6 while protecting liver, kidney, and nervous tissue from injury. NAC works best as part of a comprehensive nutritional strategy rather than a standalone solution.
Other nutrients I frequently recommend include:
Glutathione, the body’s primary intracellular antioxidant, plays a central role in neutralizing pesticides, heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues, and reactive oxygen species.7
Glycine, another amino acid required for glutathione production and Phase II liver detoxification8.
Sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprouts, which activate the Nrf2 pathway and stimulate production of the body's own detoxification enzymes9.
Milk thistle (silymarin), which supports liver cell regeneration and helps stabilize liver cell membranes, reduce oxidative stress, and support liver cells.10
TUDCA (Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid) is a bile acid that supports healthy bile flow, protects liver cells, and reduces cellular stress during toxin processing. Research on bile acid metabolism highlights the importance of maintaining proper bile flow to prevent toxin buildup and support elimination.11
Taurine, especially important for cats and many dogs, supports bile acid metabolism and antioxidant activity.12
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a key antioxidant enzyme that neutralizes highly reactive superoxide radicals, preventing oxidative damage while supporting the liver’s detoxification systems.13
Humic and Fulvic Acids: These natural compounds, derived from ancient plant matter, help bind heavy metals and environmental toxins, support gut barrier integrity, promote microbial balance, and enhance nutrient absorption.
They act like a “net” in the gut, transporting toxins, heavy metals, and metabolic waste through the lymphatic and renal systems, thereby enhancing elimination.14
Reducing Your Pet’s Exposure Is Even More Important
Supporting detoxification only addresses one side of the equation. Whenever possible, reduce the amount of glyphosate entering your pet's body in the first place. Simple changes can make a meaningful difference.
Feed a fresh, minimally processed diet whenever possible.
Choose organic ingredients when practical, particularly grains and legumes, which often receive glyphosate applications.
Wash your dog's paws after walks through public parks or neighborhoods where herbicides are commonly applied.
Avoid allowing your pets to access recently sprayed lawns.
Provide filtered drinking water if local water quality is questionable.
Small reductions in daily exposure can substantially lower your pet's cumulative lifetime toxic burden.
Final Thoughts
The Australian researchers concluded that larger studies are urgently needed to identify where dogs are encountering glyphosate and what those exposures mean for long-term health. I couldn't agree more.
In the meantime, I encourage pet parents to focus on what they can control.
Feed the freshest diet you can afford. Support your pet's microbiome. Minimize unnecessary chemical exposures. Maintain healthy liver function with targeted nutrition. And when appropriate, consider nutrients such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC) that help replenish glutathione and strengthen the body's natural detoxification systems.
Our pets cannot choose the environments they live in. They rely on us to recognize hidden risks and make thoughtful decisions that support a healthier, more resilient future.
Sources and References:
- 1 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 01 July 2026
- 2 Environmental Pollution, December 2018
- 3 Beynen AC 2025 Glyphosate in Dog Nutrition
- 4 Science of the Total Environment Apr 2019
- 5 Frontiers, Popular Weedkiller May Be Fueling Superbugs, June 23, 2026
- 6 Antioxidants (Basel) 2023 Oct 16
- 7 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2015
- 8 Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Jul 31
- 9 Front Vet Sci 2024, Oct 01
- 10 PLoS One. 2012
- 11 J Clin Invest. 1993 Dec
- 12 PLoS One, 2023 May
- 13 Biomolecules, 2025 Aug
- 14 Animals (Basel). 2026 Jan 7
About Karen Shaw Becker, DVM, CVH, CVA, CCRT
Veterinarian Dr. Karen Shaw Becker believes biologically appropriate food and an animal's immediate environment are essential in determining health, vitality, and lifespan. She has spent her career as a wildlife and exotic animal veterinarian and small animal clinician, empowering animal guardians to make intentional lifestyle decisions to enhance the well-being of their animals.
