# Is Tylenol (acetaminaphen) lethal for horses?



## brandilion (Aug 23, 2010)

Hi

I just heard about a lady who says her horses were poisoned by someone putting Tylenol in their drinking trough. She said 2 horses died and a 3rd made it, but isn't in good health. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? 

I'm thinking, first, wouldn't you need a WHOLE LOT to poison horses? It would get diluted in a trough, and a human can take up to 4000 mg/day. A horse weighs a heck of a lot more than a person, and diluted into a water trough, wouldn't you need quite a few bottles tossed into the trough? And second, would it be lethal, or just make them sick? I guess that would probably depend on how much they were given.

Any opinions, ideas or thoughts would be appreciated, especially from any vets, vet techs or such.


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## Katesrider011 (Oct 29, 2010)

Maybe if he put a whole lot in there. I'm seriously questioning whether the lady did it herself and put it off as someone else doing it, if this story is true. I'm no vet though.


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## brandilion (Aug 23, 2010)

I'm skeptical too, but I work in an environment where it pays to be skeptical, so I thought maybe I was going overboard. Just seems like it would take an awful lot of pills to work, and wouldn't there be the possibility the bottom of the trough would be filled with undissolved pills? Or are you going to take the time to mash up all those pills and stir them in til well dissolved? I think not. 

But I also know that in humans overdosing on Tylenol can cause liver failure, so maybe horses' livers are more sensitive???


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## Katesrider011 (Oct 29, 2010)

brandilion said:


> I'm skeptical too, but I work in an environment where it pays to be skeptical, so I thought maybe I was going overboard. Just seems like it would take an awful lot of pills to work, and wouldn't there be the possibility the bottom of the trough would be filled with undissolved pills? Or are you going to take the time to mash up all those pills and stir them in til well dissolved? I think not.
> 
> But I also know that in humans overdosing on Tylenol can cause liver failure, so maybe horses' livers are more sensitive???


That's a question for the vet, that would be a heck of a lot of tylenol, and how the heck does she know it's tylenol??? Did she see the pills, were the horses autopsied. I'm confused.


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## BelgianDream (Dec 16, 2010)

Katesrider011 said:


> That's a question for the vet, that would be a heck of a lot of tylenol, and how the heck does she know it's tylenol??? Did she see the pills, were the horses autopsied. I'm confused.


That was my first thought....


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I googled like crazy (and we all know google is not my friend but I tried) and I find nothing that says acetaminophen is toxic to horses.

(Please do not take this as a green light to run out and treat your horse with your bottle of extra strength Tylenol.)


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

brandilion said:


> And second, would it be lethal, or just make them sick? I guess that would probably depend on how much they were given.


Not lethal according to the Merck guide - 

Merck Veterinary Manual


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Thank you MLS!


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## Katesrider011 (Oct 29, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> I googled like crazy (and we all know google is not my friend but I tried) and I find nothing that says acetaminophen is toxic to horses.
> 
> (Please do not take this as a green light to run out and treat your horse with your bottle of extra strength Tylenol.)


If the story is true, that increases my thinking! I really think the lady should be investigated!


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