DMSO for Horses - Risks and Benefits

You can find different sizes at most feed or tack shops.

What is DMSO for Horses?

• If you have ever been around horses (or horse people) and you notice a pungent, rotten garlic smell, that’s DMSO after absorption. It stinks! You can also taste it if you are unfortunate enough to get it on your skin.

• DMSO has roots in the lumber industry as an industrial solvent. In the 1960s, it jumped to medicine to treat interstitial cystitis and arthritis.

• For other medical purposes, it’s a handy free radical scavenger that cleans up the byproducts of inflammation. It’s been noted that the pain relief delivered by DMSO is similar to that of narcotics and can help with long-term chronic pain and acute, sudden pain related to injuries, edema, and other conditions like osteoarthritis.

• DMSO landed in the horse industry and is used by vets and horse owners for many reasons. It’s usually mixed with corticosteroids as an anti-inflammatory agent to reduce swelling after traumatic musculoskeletal injuries. You can find it at most tack and feed stores as DMSO gel.

The Discovery and Historical Significance of DMSO

• DMSO has some fascinating history, starting with its mostly accidental discovery. When used as a solvent in the lumber industry, people who handled it noticed they would taste a rancid, garlicky flavor.

• This prompted scientists to ponder, “How does this liquid pass through the skin and into the body?” From there, a clever scientist named Stanley Jacob used DMSO as a possible preservative for organs destined for donation.

• Since then, it’s been approved for organ preservation, treating interstitial cystitis, and other uses like helping deliver medications via patches. It’s been approved for topical use in horses and dogs since the 1970s, although it can be used intravenously in horses, it’s considered off-label use.

DMSO is a Diuretic, Fights Inflammation, and More

• The primary use of DMSO in veterinary medicine is to carry medications through the skin and into the tissues that need them. This delivery is a great way to directly interfere with the inflammatory process of an injury or disease at the source of the pain. DMSO has a magic molecular structure that has many therapeutic benefits for horses.

DMSO’s Ability to Carry Other Substances Through the Skin

• When you use DMSO to transport another medication, like steroids, insulin, anti-biotics, or painkillers like NSAIDs, the DMSO concoction should contain more than 70% DMSO for maximum effectiveness.

• In humans, this provides immediate relief for about six hours or so. DMSO is readily excreted from humans, but the taste may linger! It’s typically used topically for humans to treat sprains and strains, treating postoperative incisions, and burns.

What can DMSO do for horses?

There are a few ways in which DMSO helps horses:

Pain control

• Used topically, DMSO can reduce swelling and alleviate pain due to arthritis, strains, tendon and ligament injuries, and even spinal cord injuries.

Tying up

• Horses that tie up and have their muscles “lock” may benefit from IV DMSO. This infusion alleviates the cramping and pain associated with tying up. DMSO has diuretic properties, meaning it draws water out. This mechanism is how it reduces swelling. DMSO will help flush toxins from the damaged muscles when tying up.

Laminitis

• DMSO may help the early stages of laminitis. The trick here is to catch it early. When horses begin to show obvious signs of laminitis, significant damage is already present.

Neurological disease treatment

• For some neurological conditions, like EPM, DMSO can help. DMSO is hydrophilic, which means it loves water. The DMSO can draw water away from swelling around the spinal cord and nerve cells for neurological diseases.

• It may also be helpful for cases of West Nile encephalitis.

Brain swelling

• It’s not uncommon for vets to give horses IV DMSO for suspected head trauma to quiet down brain swelling. This swelling might be disease-related or the result of a horse bonking their head or having flipped over.

Fresh wounds

• Some vets may use a DMSO concoction to flush some wounds, as there are some anti-microbial effects.

Blister beetle toxicity

• Blister beetles, dead or alive, are sometimes found in hay. These tiny bugs are tragically toxic for horses and require immediate veterinary attention. Intravenous DMSO can help alleviate some of the toxins from damaging the kidneys.

Skin infections

• Occasionally, a horse may develop a skin problem where delivering medications is complex. This situation could be due to a rain rot infection that is so thick with scabs that topical meds can’t reach the bacterial culprits under the scab. DMSO transports the necessary meds into those hard-to-reach areas.

Using DMSO with other drugs for horses

• Always talk to your vet about using DMSO topically before you mix it with other drugs or apply it. There may be instances where DMSO is not the right way to go!

• Do not mix DMSO with anything containing mercury salt, iodine, insulin, atropine, some steroids, or alcohol.

Side Effects of DMSO for Horses

• The side effects for humans are well documented and may include hives, swelling, toxicity, severe allergic reactions, and skin damage that may be permanent. For horses, it’s usually irritated skin that shows up.

Read this webpage for summaries of how humans react to DMSO.

Precautions Before Using DMSO for Horses

• Do not mix DMSO with anything unless your vet expressly advises it.

• Do not give DMSO or use it topically for horses that are dehydrated, as the diuretic effect will only worsen the dehydration.

• Your horse must be clean before using topically.

• Anything on the surface of your horse’s skin can be carried through the skin and into the tissues and bloodstream. This includes fly sprays, grooming products, microbes, and more.

• Your hands (with gloves) must be spic and span clean, too. Don’t forget about the container of DMSO – it must also be squeaky clean and have no risk of contamination if the lid has ever been left open.

• Please don’t put on your gloves, touch a bunch of stuff, and then use it. Have a friend (also in gloves) help you if needed.

• A note about gloves – Nitrile gloves will degrade after 5 minutes if exposed to DMSO. I’ve never needed to handle DMSO for longer than it takes to scoop out on your finger and apply, so this usually isn’t a problem. You can also use butyl rubber gloves if you prefer.

More research is needed about DMSO gel and IV use

• There is not a lot of research on DMSO and horses.

• Talk to your vet first if you want to use DMSO on your horse. Any emergencies, like a head wound, traumatic accident, or obvious leg swelling, need your vet’s attention anyway, and DMSO may be better delivered via IV than topically.

• Also, consider icing. Iced therapy is an excellent alternative until you hear from your vet. Icing is also anti-inflammatory and helps reduce pain.

Will DMSO test at shows?

• It sure will! Knowing your horse show organization’s medication regulations and how and when you can use them is up to you.

There are many warnings on the back of the DMSO bottle, including avoiding mucous membranes – if your horse has it on their leg, they can wipe it on their face. It can also produce explosions. Yes, explosive reactions.