Garlic for Fly Control in Horses
Garlic’s properties are well known for the treatment of illnesses and infections in both horses and humans, but garlic’s benefits also extend to fly control. We explore its properties and benefits below.
What Is Garlic’s Fly-Repelling Ingredient?
Garlic’s impressive fly-repelling properties are due to its concentration of a sulphur compound called diallyl disulfide. Biting and flying insects like mosquitoes and black flies are unable to withstand the taste or odor of garlic, even though a human may barely notice it.
Using garlic for fly control in horses, starting with small amounts and increasing to a maximum dosage will allow for the continued repelling of insects without the need for chemicals.
How Does It Work?
Once ingested, garlic’s insect-repelling sulphur compound travels through the horse’s digestive system. When the horse sweats, the sulphur is released through the skin. Most insects will avoid landing on the horse entirely, but those that do land and bite will fly away immediately, as sulphur is toxic to flies.
In ingesting garlic, your horse will also be protected from the inside of any infection that may arise in bite areas.
Feeding Garlic Powder to Horses
Because each horse differs in terms of physiology, the correct dosage of garlic for fly control or the purpose of providing health benefits will also differ.There is much concern over the toxicity of garlic when administered in large doses, as this can cause a serious condition called Heinz body anemia.
It is always recommended to consult with a veterinarian prior to feeding garlic to any horse. When administering garlic for the purpose of repelling insects, monitoring your horse will be important.
General Guidelines
The following guidelines may provide some insight with regard to dosing amounts and frequency.
- Sprinkling garlic on top of horse feed will allow them to have gradual exposure to its smell and taste. It may make sense to administer the same dose for a few days before administering an increased dose.
- Ensure that your horse is eating its dosed feed, as some horses may discard their feed on the floor. If this occurs with your horse, it can help to reduce the dose by a small amount, and then monitor once again.
- Should the horse resume eating, it’s recommended to feed them the reduced amount for several days before increasing it. Finally, the dose given to your horse shouldn’t continue to increase indefinitely; a maximum amount should be identified to avoid toxicity.
Give Your Horse All of Garlic’s Benefits
In addition to helping keep your horse free of biting insects, garlic also possesses many other properties beneficial to their health. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, and it is also a natural antibiotic.
The best garlic for horses is one without fillers, chemicals or sugars. Garlic powder from Equi-Herbs has been created out of our passion for horses and the desire to help all horses live a long and disease-free life. Purchase our garlic powder online or call 1-800-786-0708 for more information.