I was thinking of starting my pregnant mare on garlic as I have heard that it does help to reduce tick bites and we are already seeing ticks pretty early in the season for us. I know most people do not think it helps with flys but it seems more useful against ticks. My research comes down both ways. I want to feed the pure garlic flakes. Will this harm her or the foal? Thanks in advance!
Just be careful you don’t use too much. Horses do not metablize garlic like people do. In horses, as well as dogs, garlic causes hemolytic anemia. It has been proven that garlic causes red blood cells to explode. Constant premature destruction of red blood cells affects iron stores, but also oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer. Hemolytic anemia can get serious real fast.
My vet advised me against feeding garlic to my lactating mare.
Dr Getty advises against garlic. Sufficient quantity to repel insects will poison the horse. Quoting from her book on feeding horses:
"A Word About Garlic and Heinz Body Anemia…
I bring up this type of anemia, not because it is directly related to immune
function, but because it is often a result of feeding garlic to horses in an
attempt to repel insects. Garlic (and onions) contain allicin, which is excellent
for our health, but is harmful to your horse over the long term. Garlic
has antimicrobial properties which can negatively impact your horse’s hindgut microbial population. It also lessens the production of a protective
enzyme known as phosphate dehydrogenase (PD). Lessened PD levels
impair hemoglobin’s ability to defend itself against oxidative damage, leading
to the production of damaging free radicals. Some oxidative stress is
normal but red blood cells can become overwhelmed once their protective
enzyme system is altered.
The result is a Heinz body, a tiny growth on the outside of the cell. Damaged
cells can be removed from the bloodstream by the spleen, but over
time, with consistent feeding of garlic, your horse will develop anemia. He
will have a low red blood cell count, jaundice, and dark, reddish urine.
The exact toxic dosage is unclear, but my thinking is, why deliberately feed
a known toxin to your horse? Wild onions found in pasture, for example,
have been found to create Heinz body anemia. Even household onions,
kale, or leeks can induce this type of anemia.
Because garlic’s damage creeps up on your horse a little at a time, you
won’t see any ill effects at first. But after a while, you may notice that your
horse has less endurance, his energy level is decreased, and he becomes
more susceptible to infections.
There is no scientific evidence that garlic helps as a fly repellent. Yes, there
is anecdotal evidence that the smell keeps flies away. And that’s likely how
garlic-based insect repellents claim to work. The garlic is heated and dried
first, which allegedly destroys the damaging allicin, but frankly, I do not
trust these products. Furthermore, you’d have to feed an awful lot of garlic
to get your 1100 lb horse to stink enough for the bugs to stay away. And I
don’t know about you, but I love the way horses smell, and I don’t think I’d
feel that way if they smelled like garlic. "
Interesting, I was thinking of putting my horses back on it this year as the bugs are out already and I’m sure we’re in for a dreadful summer. I had my mare on it for a couple years about 2-3 years ago. I’m trying to get her in foal this summer, so this question’s timing is very appropriate. I never saw any negative side affects and think it did help some. She did smell bad though 
[QUOTE=Simkie;6235567]
Heinz body. Not hemolytic 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15822591[/QUOTE]
Heinz body is a form of hemolytic anemia.
I do use garlic on preggo and lactating mares as I am even MORE afraid of bottles with skulls and crossbones with all sorts of known carcinogens. A few thoughts on that though:
- the studies that showed garlic to cause anemia were done on it’s cousin onion grass, not actual garlic
- the amounts fed to the horses in said studies were just MASSIVE. Not the amount you would ever really feed your horse.I figured out one time when I did track down the study how much it would COST to feed your horse that much garlic. It was some sort of a small fortune!
- I have found that feeding half the recommended dosage to be effective. Mostly I was trying to feed the least needed for financial reasons. The properly air dried garlic is 27.00 for a 5# jar.
- the type of garlic and allicin content…allicin is the bad guy in the garlic. HOW the garlic is processed makes a lot of difference. Allicin breaks down quickly with exposure to air. The allicin content in air dried garlic is pretty low. Next is fresh garlic…has some left in it.From what I have read freeze drying processes the allicin quickly after harvest and the allicin does NOT break down in it. It is the cheapest form od garlic, but not the one you want for your horse.
- I don’t feed it year round…just during fly season.
That aside here are my personal observations about the garlic use and the horses: It is not a magic fly repellant. They were bothered somewhat less by the flies on the garlic versus off, but it’s not like they will disappear. It helps with the face flies but not the biting flies. Where the real benefit to me is in the TICK repellant. I did notice a huge decline in the tick problem when they are on the garlic. And where I am Lyme disease is a serious problem.
The study I linked above was done with garlic.
Garlic is fine if feed in correct dosages i.e. full grown horse 2 tablespoons once per day. I read some article not sure if it is the linked one in above posts where garlic was vastly over fed and had significant negative results odd that. It is fine for pregnant mares but stop one month before due date as it will taint the milk with the possible result that the foal will not nurse. If you are unsure when your mare will foal stop 2 months out.
Cheers
Dried Garlic not cloves or wet simple 2 tlps of dried.
