Urgent: Horse broke into feed shed

Soot

Paranoid!
Aug 7, 2007
6,135
0
0
East Sussex
Lance broke into feed shed this morning :(

He ignored the oats etc but stuffed himself with about 1 kg of garlic -- YO trying to reach the vet to ask for help, but does anyone know how this might affect him -- colic risk, I presume (he doesn't get garlic cause it makes him itch), itching? liver ... I dunno, I'm terrified. It really ****es me off too because a yard member let him onto the yard on purpose because they "felt sorry for him" in his mask, so it was a totally preventable accident!

Edited to make my angry rant a little smaller, because although I am ****ed off and the accident was indeed preventable, there was no malicious intention behind the other person's actions and it's someone I would trust with both my own and Lance's life. I was just very scared when I made this first post (and I'm still scared, but calmer).
 
Last edited:
Oh gosh poor Lance. Hopefully it will just give him a belly ache (oh hell he will stink!)

I don't know about a whole kg of garlic, but I know when someone put garlic in my horses feed (it doesn't agree with him) he was very "loose" for a day. You might have some horrendous poo picking coming up. :eek:
 
Reading on the internet about anemia, but also it did say this:

However it may be that commercially prepared equine garlic supplements are not dangerous as the active ingredient -allicin - is often destroyed during the manufacturing process when heat dried.

If that's true, then he should be OK
 
Apparently he does stink.
Vet said to hay him & give him wetted down Hi Fi Lite, but didn't know of any immediate toxic shock reactions that might occur.

I feel sick :(
 
Don't look at the internet.

It'll be hard but I would sit tight and wait a little. It may have no systemic effect on him.

If your Vet doesn't know call a bigger/referral practice for advice in the meantime. It won't cost you anything and may put your mind at rest.

Perhaps try Liphook - 01428 723594 or The RVC - 01707 666333
 
I'm sure you do feel sick, it must be horrid for you.

I am sure though if he was going to have any sort of "shock" from it that it would have happened very swiftly.

I reckon he will just have a poorly bottom after he has got rid of it all.
 
I think he'll be fine - googling seems to come up with the figure of 20g per kilo of body weight as maximum amount per day over 4 days, so if he's approx 500kg (just guessing) then he's eaten a maximum daily amount. Might be worth asking the vet for a horse type antacid as I know humans get heartburn if they over do the garlic. Maybe the good old charcoal solution?

Might be worth dosing him with anti-histamines if he normally gets itchy through eating garlic as this might help keep this down to a minimum. Might help with the effects of eating so much :eek:
 
Vet just called back to say he'd just read the same thing (I appreciate that he looked into it some more!)

Keeping Lance in on hay until tonight - apparently he's looking perky and everyone is keeping an eye on him so I'll see him tonight. :( :(
Life!!!!
 
Goodness, aren't horses silly.

Just keep an eye on him. You did absolutley the right thing by calling the vet. And it wasn't your fault that he got out in the first place, so try not to beat yourself up. Tough to do, I know.

Fingers crossed for you
 
On the plus side, the flies won't come near him !

Seriously, iam glad he's OK and he didnt get into anything more damaging than garlic (like those oats). He obviously likes garlic. My old horse would turn her nose up at her feed if it had too much garlic in it !
 
I gather he had the choice only between a box of treats and a box of garlic in the particular cupboard he gained access to ... otherwise I'm sure he would have gone for oats! Rambo's former stabe neighbour died of colic after getting into grain :(.
 
Fingers crossed, hun.

I would absolutely beat the cr*p ou tof the idiot yard member: OK, the Hannibal Lecter look is a bit worrying, but it's for a bloody good reason! What a total prat to do that!
 
Fingers crossed, hun.

I would absolutely beat the cr*p ou tof the idiot yard member: OK, the Hannibal Lecter look is a bit worrying, but it's for a bloody good reason! What a total prat to do that!

To be fair it wasn't quite that straightforward, as the person who let him helped me out all winter by bringing him in every morning for hay as I could only get up to the yard once a day. And with the weather being bad, I think she genuinely meant to be helpful and Lance pulled his "I'm a poor starved pony face" and again she knew I worry about him getting enough through the mask re colic, etc.
I would never blame her for touching or dealing with Lance and 99% of the time her judgement about whether he needs to come in for extra hay or not is correct.

That doesn't mean it doesn't **** me off!!! Cause I am very ****ed off!!
But more about circumstances than *at* anyone.
 
newrider.com