Hi, Over the years I have heard a lot of things about DMSO. Many stories tell of it and how many rave over it. I am interested in someone giving me advise as to how to apply or administer the stuff PROPERLY on horses. I am not too interested in old wives tales, but would like to know the benefits and disadvantages of its use. Any and all info is greately appreciated. Is it also known to help skin grow over muscle that has been through a bad cut or injury? thanks, cajunjac01@hotmail.com

-- jac (cajunjac01@hotmail.com), August 05, 2001

Answers

I am presently in the process of rubbing down a hog's leg once a day with the DMSO the vet gave me. (My Mammoth stepped on him). I've never heard of it helping the skin to grow, but the hog's swelling is coming down. The DMSO I'm using is 99.9% pure and is a gel.

I've known horse folks thru the years who have used it for the same purpose I am.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), August 06, 2001.

DMSO is used in horses for reducing swelling in muscular type injuries, not for cuts or abrasions. If you have a cut or abrasions, there are lots of products on the market that are quite good such as Cut Heal or many others. If the cut shows signs of developing proud flesh, Wonder Dust is great for reducing it.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), August 06, 2001.

=== If the cut shows signs of developing proud flesh, Wonder Dust is great for reducing it. ===

Friends have told me that Adolph's Meat Tenderizer is great for getting rid of proud flesh!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), August 11, 2001.

My youngest mare slipped on the ice and went under the horse trailer a couple winters ago. On getting up, she gouged a really deep puncture into the point of her hip over the bone, almost down to the bone itself. I had the vet out to check it out, and he put in some stitches at each corner of the tear (3-corner), but I discussed it with him and he said it would likely leave a big scar, and if hair ever grew over it, it would come back white (she's a bay).

I proceeded to doctor the wound myself, washing it out with freshly made chamomile tea every day as it healed from the inside out. After a couple weeks of this, the tissue had filled in enough that I started adding calendula to the chamomile tea for washing it, and then began dressing it with Hilton Phytobalm (herbal paste made with calendula, hypericum tincture, hypericum oil, tea tree essential oil, honey, bee propolis and Vitamin E).(available from Chamisa Ridge, 1- 800-743-3188)

You can barely find where the puncture was anymore (and it was almost 4" across both ways), it is only a dimple, and the hair came back in bay too.

Calendula is great for healing up lacerations of the skin, but if there is a deep puncture associated with it, you don't want to use it immediately as it can heal skin so quickly that it seals infections inside, which is why I used the chamomile for healing and cleaning out the wound first.

I've only used DMSO under the vet's directions as a carrier to penetrate medications through the skin, notably on the back of a pony that was stuck upside down in a feed trough and wrenched her back. I've only used it in this capacity.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), August 11, 2001.