I used to take 4-6 embedded ticks off my gelding
each week. Now I find 3-4 per year. The difference is powdered
garlic mixed in with his grain/beetpulp mash. I feed it all year long
since we have only brief periods during winters here in central Maryland when
the ground is frozen solid -- and so the ticks are active virtually
all year long.
When I asked my vet about using garlic against
ticks, he said that it seems to help some horses and not others (it
certainly has not helped my horse with flying insects). Since my
horse gets huge lumps from tick bites, dripping blood and pus, and I'm
terrified of Lyme Disease, it was certainly worth a try. I started out feeding 1 teaspoon, twice daily, and worked up
to 1 tablespoon at each meal.
In advance of horrified responses: Yes,
garlic in large amounts can cause anemia, but Susan G advised that I'd probably
have to feed cups of the stuff for that to happen. And a recent study
published in the Horse Journal showed anemia resulted when horses ate 7.5
ounces twice daily. I feed an ounce, or less, at a time, and recent
bloodwork showed that my horse is fine.
