ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: Garlic toxicity

Re: Garlic toxicity

Trish Dowling (dowling@skyway.usask.ca)
Thu, 7 Aug 1997 12:25:45 -0700 (PDT)

Hi i read in one of the posts a while back about garlic causing anemia in
horses -can't seem to find this info. again, How much would a horse need to
consume to cause any problems- i like to give 1 oz. per horse -seems to
help with the flies. We eat garlic all the time,have never heard anything
but good about it -- i guess my arabs could become Italianabs--If anyone
has more info. please respond,thanks-JoPoe

The toxic dose for garlic and onion that I have in my toxicology reference is 5 grams/kg of body weight. I
doubt that you are feeding that much! (ie, 400 kg horse (1000 lbs) eating 2 kgs (4 lbs)). The only toxicity I
have ever seen was in horses in North Carolina. They have an onion grass that comes up in the spring and
the horses will eat large amounts. They have very strong onion breath, have a low packed (red) cell volume,
red urine and pant like a pig when you try to ride them. They recover by simply getting them off the onion
grass. I've never heard of a real problem. Now red maple leaf toxicity is a problem and I did see horses die
from that in NC!

Cheers,
Trisha

Trisha Dowling, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM & ACVCP
Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4
306-966-7359/FAX 306-966-7376

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