Site Menu:
This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below: |
HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Routine Horse Care » Controlling Houseflies and Biting Flies » |
Discussion on Garlic | |
Author | Message |
New Member: dialmond |
Posted on Monday, Apr 25, 2011 - 4:36 pm: I have read that garlic is in a family of plants that is toxic to horses - is feeding garlic a danger? |
Member: vickiann |
Posted on Monday, Apr 25, 2011 - 5:38 pm: Welcome, Erin,The members of HA have discussed that subject quite a bit here and you can probably do a search to pick up some of the chats about this subject. There are a lot of people who feed it to their horses and feel that it helps with repelling biting insects. Several years ago I tried this and it did seem that biting insects would prefer other horses over those who regularly consumed the garlic, but I found those benefits to be pretty limited and not worth the time and cost. I also have read that it is toxic to horses, cats and dogs and I imagine it depends upon the amount fed, for how long, and the sensitivity level of the particular animal as to which might suffer ill effects. |
Member: rtrotter |
Posted on Monday, Apr 25, 2011 - 7:08 pm: Hi Erin,And a warm welcome to HA. I am a tried and true garlic believer and I have been feeding garlic to my horses for years. I feel it does work as an internal fly repellent and I believe it has a way of bumping up the immune system. Last year, I had blood work taken to see if my mare, who has gotten garlic for the past 4 years had any hint of anemia or had spiculated red blood cells. All her blood work came back normal. The studies that were done used very large portions over a very short time frame and this is what brought on the toxicity and the problems. Anything given in very large amounts can be bad for horse, dog cat or human. I feed approx 1 tablespoon once or twice daily and I have had no problems with it at all. In case you are interested, I use the Bug-free garlic from www.Springtimeinc.com All the best Rachelle |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 26, 2011 - 7:38 am: Welcome Erin,One of the most complete discussions on Garlic actually sprung from a DEET recommendation. You can read it at, HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Tips and Tricks » 2008 Add New Care Tips Here » 2009 Adding some Deet. As others have recommended above a search will bring up dozens of discussions on Garlic use. DrO} |
Member: cometrdr |
Posted on Friday, Apr 29, 2011 - 6:08 pm: Erin - I welcome you also. Garlic. yea I know a lot of people swear by it. I tried it last season and didn't notice any big difference in repelling bugs at all. I used the recommended dose for 6 months and short of renaming my horses Guido and Luigi, i didn't see anything worth adding it to their supplement base on their feed. but it is definatly something that may make a difference for your horses. as anything introduce it slowly - its quite flavorful and believe me they notice it. good luck if you choose to use it - I am all for natural not chemical warfare against pests.muffi |
Member: paul303 |
Posted on Friday, Apr 29, 2011 - 9:35 pm: I tried it back in the seventies. It did nothing for my horses. There wasn't much in the arsenal back then....."they" also recommended garlic for worms... Nah, we used tube worming, and, although hell on the horses, it worked. Eventually, we became more civilized. The injectable ivermectin worked wonders in the early eighties, but fell from favor due to usage in horses with horrendous loads of worms. We evolved to paste wormers which have worked pretty well for years, along with the miriad fly sprays that are available.The truth is, that pests, and pest treatments evolve. Garlic might do a little something, but the first line treatment is to attack pests on your farm. Get rid of the manure, while treating with a feed thru like simplify and make sure to hang large fly traps everywhere you can. Keep the manure away from the barn in a pile that can heat up and compost. Spray your horses with a quality fly spray. Hit flies and worms at every stage of development, and you'll find that you make steady progress. Don't give up, don't EVER give up, just keep hitting them at every stage. |
Member: paul303 |
Posted on Friday, Apr 29, 2011 - 9:38 pm: I tried it back in the seventies. It did nothing for my horses. There wasn't much in the arsenal back then....."they" also recommended garlic for worms... Nah, we used tube worming, and, although hell on the horses, it worked. Eventually, we became more civilized. The injectable ivermectin worked wonders in the early eighties, but fell from favor due to usage in horses with horrendous loads of worms. We evolved to paste wormers which have worked pretty well for years, along with the miriad fly sprays that are available.The truth is, that pests, and pest treatments evolve. Garlic might do a little something, but the first line treatment is to attack pests on your farm. Get rid of the manure, while treating with a feed thru like simplify and make sure to hang large fly traps everywhere you can. Keep the manure away from the barn in a pile that can heat up and compost. Spray your horses with a quality fly spray. Hit flies and worms at every stage of development, and you'll find that you make steady progress. Don't give up, don't EVER give up, just keep hitting them at every stage. |