dmso

[bcnewe2]

Has anyone used DMSO on a dog here?

Jesse the lgd has strained/injured her shoulder. The vet said is wasn't anymore than that but unless I could keep her contained for a long period of time that she would or could be off for months (he said 6-8) for total healing since she is about impossible to contain.

I locked her up in the barn for a few days, she dug and totally upset herself. She seems way more tender when she lays around then if she's moving.

 

I was discussing this with my family and my DD suggested using DMSO to help her feel better.

My DS says there are conflicting reports about it and didn't recommend it.

 

Vet said no pain meds so she can self regulate but that's not working to well or it's killing me to see her in pain

 

I can't imagine it getting better in that many months.

 

Putting her in a crate causes her to go a bit crazy and she bites and digs. So that's not helping either.

I worry if I leave her locked up in a stall that she will dig her way out.

 

Any suggestions or advise on the use of DMSO? I'm going to talk to my vet but he is out of town for the weekend.

[Gideon's girl]

I know that DMSO is a carrier, so if she has anything on or around her that you don't want inside her DMSO is not a good choice. When using DMSO on horses, you wash them first, and you don't use insecticides or anything like that until you are done with the DMSO.

[bcnewe2]

So any dirt or outside contaminates will be carried over the skin barrier?

[Gideon's girl]

Any chemicals in the dirt.

[bcnewe2]

I just put Vectra on her.

I was just trying to come up with a way for her to feel better and heal a bit quicker. It breaks my heart to see her limping so. DSMO kinda scared me when I read about it but really other than what you mentioned it seems to get ok reviews. They say no proper clinical trials have actually been completed but they compare it to aspirin as the new "treatment" of the century...on more than one site.

 

Going to talk to the vet next week.

Someone asked me about a cortisone shot in her shoulder, would that just make it feel better or help healing? I can't stand to see her hurt but I hate to mask the pain as then she's never going to get better since she's keep plowing around.

 

Poor baby.

[juliepoudrier]

My main work dog had biceps tendonitis with a partial tear of the biceps tendon. The only thing that worked was rest, period. Have you considered tying her out where she can see her sheep? I've had luck with keeping injured dogs or surgical patients quiet by confining them (either by tying or with a chain link kennel) in sight of (essentially within the sheep pasture) of their stock. Steroids are nasty things not to be used lightly. Pain meds may or may not help with the pain--they didn't help Pip with his tendonitis--and if she's not feeling any pain then you run the risk of her doing further, and perhaps permanent, damage to whatever's injured now. If your space is too big to keep the sheep near where she's tied/confined and can see them, then I'd make up something temporary for the sheep to keep them close to the dog in her confinement so she stays happier. The more you can keep her quiet now, the quicker she'll heal (vs. letting her continue to re-injure or stress it). If I went for any drugs, I'd try stuff with a sedative effect to keep her quiet, but still keep her in sight of her stock.

 

With Pip, we had strict rest for a full 8 weeks, I think, and then limited work after that (he was actually cleared for light work before he was cleared to run loose with the other dogs because the movements they make playing were more stressful on his shoulder than just, say, driving sheep in a straight line). I took it slowly. He was injured in the fall (Oct.) and by early spring he was working again. He hasn't taken a lame step since then, and I think this fall will be three years since his original injury.

 

J.

[bcnewe2]

I'm going to have to figure something out. SHe digs if I put her in a stall or pen that has a dirt floor. I'm sure digging is horrid for her shoulder. The other day she came though a pipe gate and got her hips stuck, she probably injured it more pulling herself through.

I might try a chain or tie out but have to figure out where to put it.

I had her locked in the barnyard but when she escaped she was a nutso running around saying hi to all her sheep and everyone she could find. So....

IF I thought she could make it in the house I'd try that but she whines and cries if I bring her in.

 

DMSO is just to scary to even really think about. and I don't think a cortisone shot would work since it would help with pain but not in healing.

 

She sleeps all day so maybe tied up at night with a few sheep to keep her company?

[Sue R]

Could you put her in a stall with an older, quiet sheep or two? Maybe having one or a few sheep with her in the stall would keep her content and quiet?

 

Poor girl. I hope she can mend soon.

[Pipedream Farm]

Of all the chemicals I have worked with as a chemist, DMSO scares me the most; more so than any of the strong acids (strong enough to etch glass or dissolve gold).

[juliepoudrier]

Yep, the whole point is to make sure that no matter how you confine/restrict her she can see/interact with her sheep. She's digging out, etc., because she wants to be with her sheep, so you just need to figure out a way to confine her that allows her accees to the stock, whether that means putting sheep in a stall with her, confining the sheep in a small paddock and tying her in there with them, or similar. AS long as you confine her away from her sheep, she is going to be unhappy and try to get back to them.

 

J.

[bcnewe2]

Why Mark? Am I not finding all the information?it has such varried opinions but I didn't find any true study results in my search. Then to compare it to the discovery of asprin really had me confused. And that was on allot of sites but it did look to be quoted not researched evidence.

Are you saying it can dissolve gold and etch glass or the acids you are comparing it to?

[bcnewe2]

So tonight I'm going to put her and a few older sheep in the barn. It gets lots of air flow and she'll have sheep to be with, but it's a dirt floor and she's got holes trying for China. Let's hope what she dug for is long gone as they're old holes.

These girls are not going to stand for any playing either.

She's about 8 months old so teenage activity is what's killing her the most.

[Sue R]

Why Mark? Am I not finding all the information?it has such varried opinions but I didn't find any true study results in my search. Then to compare it to the discovery of asprin really had me confused. And that was on allot of sites but it did look to be quoted not researched evidence.

Are you saying it can dissolve gold and etch glass or the acids you are comparing it to?

 

I *think* that what Mark was saying was that DMSO scares him more than acids that can etch glass or substances that can dissolve gold. I think (no doubt) that if something scares Mark, it would worry me, too.

[Pipedream Farm]

In my life I have worked with some nasty stuff; acids, bases, solvents, etc. A solvent that is considered the universal solvent (can dissolve most things) and can transport what it dosiloved though the skin into your blood stream to me is more dangerous than an acid which burns on contact with our skin. DMSO was heavily researched as a possible needle less means to transport drugs into the blood stream. I'm told that if you put DMSO on your palm with some lemon juice you'll soon taste the lemon juice in your mouth.

 

DMSO cannot dissolve gold, but aqua regia (concentrated hydrochloric and nitric acids) can and I have worked with this acid while heating it to boiling.

 

Mark

[Gideon's girl]

My vet used to use DMSO if they accidently got an IV drug outside the vein. They burn, but this stuff would quickly cause the drug to be absorbed so the skin wouldn't slough. I learned very quickly that if I touched a dog that had had DMSO used on it, I would start tasting the stuff immediately. That's how quickly and easily it permeates the skin.

[nancy]

As I remember, DMSO draws stuff through the skin. For us, it was into the muscle.

 

Yeah, it was illegal. But when we were racing bikes (USCF road, criterium, & time trial), DMSO worked wonders. We'd put some Aspercreme on cleaned skin, them put on a little DMSO. It sure worked a treat. Did make your breath smell like garlic.

 

If you're worried, dilute some DMSO with a little sterilized water. And make sure the area where you apply it is clean - not with alcohol but with water.

 

We had bought the DMSO, originally, for our elderly lab-shepherd who had arthritis.

 

I have to admit that I still have a bit and use it - rarely - for my arthritis.

[bcnewe2]

Well I'm convinced with Mark's warnings but I read way more stuff like Nancy writes about than the dangers.

It amazes me that you can purchase it right off the web without warnings.

I will still talk to my vet about it just out of curiosity as to all the controversy.

My parents are in their seventies, young seniors by action but it just freaks me out how gullable they have become. My sister, a very intelligent research nurse was sitting there telling me I really needed to research DMSO before trying it and my father sat there telling me he heard about it on TV so was sure it was good. I never thought they were the kind to be scammed and I'm not really talking about DMSO but that since it was on TV they believed what they heard. I now see how all those scams are perpetrated on seniors. No offence Nancy. I don't mean you for using DMSO, it just scared me how they were convinced because of tv with my sister sitting there saying it was dangerous.

I'll post what my vet has to say about it.

Thinking about it, I can no way be sure Jesse is clean, she lives with poopy sheep and would be with them after I put it on her. My sheep aren't dirty by sheep standards but not clean by no means.