Summary

# Editorial Summary: Long-term Garlic Supplementation in Horses Whilst garlic enjoys widespread use in equine practice for respiratory complaints, rigorous evidence supporting its benefits—and documenting potential adverse effects—has been lacking until now. Saastamoinen and colleagues conducted a controlled 83-day trial administering dried garlic at 32 mg/kg bodyweight to investigate both its mucolytic properties and haematological safety profile. The supplemented group demonstrated meaningful improvements in airway clearance, including reduced tracheal symptoms, lower exudate accumulation, and numerically decreased neutrophil counts in tracheal mucus samples, suggesting genuine anti-inflammatory action within the respiratory tract. However, horses receiving garlic exhibited declining haemoglobin, haematocrit, and red blood cell values over the study period, indicating that even modest supplementation doses warrant concern when administered chronically. Given these mixed results, equine professionals should consider garlic supplementation only for short-term respiratory intervention whilst monitoring full blood counts regularly, and should explore safer alternatives for horses requiring extended treatment or those with pre-existing anaemic tendencies.

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Key Findings

• •Garlic supplementation at 32 mg/kg BW for 83 days reduced tracheal symptoms and tracheal exudate accumulation in horses
• •Garlic supplementation numerically reduced neutrophil cells in tracheal mucus
• •Long-term garlic supplementation caused declining hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cell values despite low dosage

Conditions Studied

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