# Dmso



## bojack08 (Oct 25, 2013)

My gelding has injuries his knee not exactly sure how. He has had the last month and a half off no riding. His knee is still swollen. Does anyone know much about DMSO if this may help heal it a little faster. And also once applied to knee should it be wrapped or is it fine left unwrapped?


----------



## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

It's been years since I used it but it helped a mare I had with a bad knee. Didn't heal it as it was a calcium deposit but I'd use it anytime the farrier was coming and she was going to have to bend that leg beyond her comfort zone. 

I never wrapped after application.

Use rubber gloves, thick ones not surgical. Went right through the surgical type gloves and left a horrible garlicky taste in my mouth for days. Seems to do that to the horse too because after a couple of applications I had to halter and tie her before she saw the bottle.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

DMSO is good stuff, I have a bottle, and I just poured some on MY arthritic joints.


----------



## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

DMSO is a powerful anti-inflammatory. It's used both topically and IV. It works astonishingly well to carry in other substances with it through the skin, so be very cautious about what you use with it. Since it generates a fair amount of heat, don't wrap over it, although some do wrap once it's very dry. Don't apply over any abrasions. Do wear gloves. 

It crystallizes or "freezes" in surprisingly high temperatures, like upper 60s; so be sure and keep it in the house in a warm place. It degrades quickly over time and loses potency, so make sure yours is absolutely fresh.

If you sneak some for yourself, do know that it can be very drying to the skin, and over time can cause skin irritations like burning and itching. Yet it can be a godsend on achy joints. For horses, their skin is thicker and tougher than ours (they've used horsehide to make baseballs, remember?) so the instance of irritation is less; but it still can happen, so be observant. If you get to the point where you have scurfing or irritation, stop using it and wash the area with a betadine or nolvasan wash.


----------



## bojack08 (Oct 25, 2013)

Ok thank u everyone. Sound alike I need to try it


----------



## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

My vet gave it to me to use on a mild bowed tendon to take down inflammation. It worked well. I actually saw it used in an IV into a weanling to try and take down acute swelling from running full tilt into a corner fence post, but the poor thing had to be euthanized.


----------



## bonnie in indiana (May 10, 2002)

I am a retired chemist. Remember that DMSO will take anything on the outside of the skin and will deposit, put, absorb, infiltrate, to the inside. SO BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It can be really nasty stuff.


----------



## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Just be careful, I've used it for decades with no bad results but:

1. Wash the area with mild soap and water, and RINSE Well as DMSO is a carrier agent and will transport chemicals through the skin.

2. Wear gloves, I use regular old surgical gloves without a problem and waited until the area to be treated was dry.

3. Apply a small amount at first as you need to see if horse will have any sort of reaction to the DMSO (same as if humans were to have a bad reaction, you sure don't want to burn the hide off the horse). Give it 24 hours and don't wrap, and check the area you applied it to to see if there is tenderness, redness, hair fell out, raised skin, etc.

4. If no reaction, then go ahead and apply and rub it in - a little goes a long way so don't soak the poor horse - lol..

5. Give it a good two weeks to take effect. I used it daily and my vet approved it. I had to wash the leg daily using mild soap and water. Dry the leg. Then apply the DMSO and rub it in.

This was on a colt with contracted tendons that had to be surgically fixed. The DMSO did the trick, colt walked fine and had literally no swelling after the surgery. I used it for two weeks straight and had no problems.

Remember - no two horses are alike and results may vary dependent upon what is going on in the horse's knee.

Have you had it xrayed to see what is going on?


----------



## bojack08 (Oct 25, 2013)

Well Wednesday afternoon his other leg behind the cannon bone was very swollen and so was his fetlock took him to the vet next morning ended up Having an abscess. So his right knee may have healed up but then the abscess came up and I was unable to tell if this was the cause for his right knee swelling. Not exactly sure but I should know Monday if his right knee is better once this abscess mess heals up. If still limping Monday I have appt for X-Ray tues if needed still


----------

