"MSM" Animal Products

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The use of MSM as a veterinary medicine-particularly for horses, cats and dogs-is vital and longstanding. There are hundreds of case reports detailing the use of MSM in treating canine arthritis alone. In this chapter, we will share veterinary cases that have been shared with us, cases that have been reported in the veterinary literature and in United States patents on MSM, and some cases that were collected by the late John W. Metcalf, DVM. Most of the cases presented here were not published in peer-reviewed journals. Some appear only in the private letters of Dr. Metcalf or in the MSM Patents. We recognize the inherent limitations in this type of reporting and welcome publication of controlled clinical trails in peer-reviewed veterinary journals. In the meantime, however, these are the most instructive cases available to us.

From 1983 until his retirement, Dr. Metcalf, an expert on lameness in horses, used MSM in his practice with impressive results. He found that MSM provided often dramatic resolution of various causes of lameness, including bicipital bursitis, laminitis, myositis, suspected back pain not involving the spinal cord, peptic ulcers, diarrhea problems in young foals, and epiphysitis. Dr. Metcalf even reported stimulation of reproductive capacity in geriatric mares.

Published research in veterinary journals suggests several pharmacological uses of MSM, including moderating allergic reactions from pollens; moderating gastrointestinal tract upset from many causes, including diet and oral drugs; and improving absorption of other nutrients affected by pain and inflammation.



HIP DYSPLASIA

This case was related by DF of Colorado. A large, male German shepherd dog, approximately 8 years old, had always been exceptionally active and “up.” However, he gradually developed hip dysplasia, and his pain became evident by the antalgic carriage of his hindquarters. He ceased grooming his hindquarters and would snap at anyone attempting to touch him there. He lost his ability to jump in and out of vehicles and was reticent to walk or run any more than necessary.

His caregivers began giving him 1-2 teaspoons (5 to 10 grams) of MSM mixed with his food on a daily basis. Within just a few days, he showed improvement. After approximately three weeks of treatment, the changes in the dog’s behavior and attitude were dramatic. He was reportedly bouncing and frolicking ‘like a puppy” and clearly experienced relief. Nevertheless, the problem was not completely eliminated; the dog has good and bad days, but his caregivers are convinced that MSM clearly benefited him, and manifestations of his hip dysplasia are notably less severe.

POOR HOOF HEALTH IN HORSES

In a report from a veterinary clinic in England, the authors identify a link between poor hoof health and non-grazing or stabling among horses, and attribute the connection to a lack of naturally occurring MSM in lush pastureland. Horses and foals, when stabled and fed processed, low-protein, or milk replacer feedstuffs, are most liable to be sulfur-deficient. The authors stated:

“Results have been quite revealing to the expressed delight of owners, farriers and ourselves alike. MSM visibly demonstrated rapid resolution in both hoof quality and growth. This reversal to normality was manifest not only from within the coronary band (i.e., the growth center for the hoof) but also showed a dramatic improvement in quality within the hoof wall closer to the bearing surface (i.e., where the shoe is fitted). The reason for this latter curious and unprecedented finding is unknown. One suggestion is that MSM somehow increases moisturization in the hoof wall.

“Taking into account all of the few dozen, and often on-going, cases where MSM feed supplementation has been applied, we have found (almost) without failure that MSM evokes effective hoof resolution. This was brought about far sooner than had been achieved, for example, in past experiences with biotin. Incidentally, at present biotin is the most utilized hoof growth supplement.”

These authors reported that horses given daily doses of MSM returned to their sporting, riding, and shoeing activity quicker than the authors had imagined possible. They suggest that other minerals (e.g., zinc, calcium) can be administered concomitantly. Specifically, the authors recommend 2.5 to 10 grams of MSM per day in feed, which is approximately 5 to 10 times what they estimate the animal would obtain naturally from grazing in lush pastureland. A large 1,100-pound (500 kg) horse has an average MSM intake per feeding of 0.5 to 1.0 gram. The authors recommend preventive feeding of MSM to stabled horses and foals “against a fair chance of developing poor hooves later in life.”

CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE IN HORSES

Clinicians at Oregon State University have reportedly used MSM to treat two cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in horses. The horses were given 15 grams of MSM orally twice daily for one week. Clinical improvement was noted after one week, with reduction in the maximal change in pleural pressures. The condition of one of the animals, however, regressed when MSM was discontinued.

MSM FOR HORSES

Veterinary interest in MSM has increased over recent years. However, MSM has been used on horses for nearly 20 years. In 1983 John Metcalf, DVM, a well-known equine practitioner, started his evaluation of MSM for horses. He has published his positive findings in several studies in peer-reviewed scientific periodicals, and generally emphasizes that MSM is of great value in maintaining the general health of horses.

MSM is now widely acclaimed by veterinarians and horsemen for its contribution to equine health care. Research has shown MSM's importance as a dietary source of mehyl groups and sulfur.

MSM Health Solutions Inc., offers MSM Flake in different quantities. Our MSM Flake is premium quality, Human Grade & Veterianian Grade "OptiMSM" (methylsulfonylmethane). This licensed form of MSM is the only type approved for animal use, made under license of US Patent 4,616,039 and other US and international patents. Unlicensed MSM that has not been purified for dietary use is sometimes offered for sale to horsemen. You can avoid the risk of these products by insisting on patented and pure "OptiMSM".

We recommended feeding three tablespoons (approx. 45 grams)daily for the first 7 to 10 days. Feed two heaping tablespoon thereafter for daily maintenance.

Researchers from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University evaluated the efficacy of three treatments for COPD in horses: prednisone (400 mg/horse, PO, daily; n = 7), MSM (10g/horse, PO, q 12 h; n = 6), and clenbuterol hydrochloride (0.4 mg/horse, PO, q 12 h; n = 7). A fourth group acted as controls (n=6) and was not treated. The treatment period lasted 10 days. Multiple physical and laboratory variables were monitored before, during, and after each 10-day trial period. Changes in lung sounds, respiratory effort, degree of anal movement, nasal discharge, temperature, respiratory rate, or heart rate were not significant. Changes in arterial blood gas tensions, tracheal wash or bronchoalveolar lavage cytologic findings, or phagocyte function were not significant. The authors explain the apparent lack of efficacy of all three treatments to the advanced state of illness in the horses.

APPARENT SULFUR DEFICIENCY

The combination of poor or brittle hooves, poor skin, and/or coat/hair condition led researchers to supplement the feed of approximately 125 horses with MS. Feed rations were supplemented with approximately 3to 15 grams of MSM per day. No additional supplements were given, except appropriate medication as indicated in a small minority of horses. Approximately half of the animals had varying degrees of growth defects in the hooves. They reported:

“Remarkable improvement in hoof growth and condition was self-evident. This after only 10-12 weeks of MSM administration. In fact, improvement in growth was becoming noticeable after only 6-8 weeks (summer months). Full restoration of fissure resolution took a little longer; but, in severe cases, results at 10-14 weeks equated with those claimed for Biotin administration after a much lengthier 10-17 months…

“Curiously, the quality improvement in hoof independent of growth, due to MSM, extended to below a line level with the internal blood supply of the foot. Historically, this has never been reported with horses on other feed supplements, including methionine, cystine and biotin…”

A CASE OF THE HEAVES

This horse’s asthma had been managed with various corticosteroids and antibiotics ( for secondary infections) when he eventually developed a condition of excessive salivation. Sometimes it was thick and streamed from his mouth; other times it was foamy, but it was always colorless. Swallowing the foam caused him to develop colic. After about two weeks of the excessive salivation, the horse developed partial paralysis of his tongue and this interfered with normal feeding. The slobbering was considered a possible side effect of albuterol.

After a steady decline of about six months, the horse was started on MSM, at the recommendation of Dr. Metcalf. The keepers began with 2 heaping tablespoons (a level tablespoon provides approximately 15 grams) per day in the horse’s food. They wrote:

“I wish we had before and after pictures. He looks like he could go right into the show ring. He is bright, filled out, glossy and has lost most of his big stomach. He is aggressive and bossy again, his old adorable self, and his taken over leadership of the barn…What a breakthrough this would be for human beings.”

The owners reported that the horse was maintained thereafter on a dose of one heaping tablespoon MSM morning, noon and night, increasing the dose when temperature and humidity were high.

Dr. Metcalf confirmed that he has also successfully treated the heaves with MSM.

CANINE ARTHRITIS

After noting desirable benefits of MSM on himself, Dr. Metcalf tried MSM with is 11-year-old black Labrador retriever. She had severe arthritis, particularly involving the hips, and had been maintained on 400 mg of phenylbutazone per day. Her condition has been so sever, she frequently required help getting to her feet. Dr. Metcalf started adding a heaping teaspoon (6 to 7 grams BID) of MSM to her food and discontinued the phenylbutazone. For about a month, there appeared to be no benefit. Then she gradually improved, and eventually got to her feet regularly without help. A similar protocol was applied to four other dogs with similar histories. The consensus of their owners was that MSM ‘turned back the clock” on all five animals to their healthy state of three to four years prior to treatment.

MSM was evaluated as an additive to the diet of older dogs of various breeds, each suffering from some form of arthritis and in some cases demonstrating other disorders. In all cases, MSM was mixed with the animal’s food immediately prior to feeding.

In a similar case, a 15-year-old, spayed German shepherd, weighing 36 kg, demonstrated ataxia and virtual immobility with pain and joint stiffness. The animal was not responsive to cortisone or phenylbutazone. She was given 0.5 grams of MSM, BID for seven days, without apparent benefit. The dosage was raised to 5 grams per day BID, and within 10 days the dog became freely mobile without evident discomfort or demonstrated ataxia.

A male, black Labrador retriever, weighing 27 kg, demonstrated severe musculoskeletal compromise of the hindquarters with urinary incontinence. This animal, although owned by a veterinarian, had failed to respond to several therapeutic regimens over the previous 12 months. MSM was given to this dog in his food at a dose of 5 grams BID for one month. This dog derived no apparent benefit from MSM.

A 14-year-old, spayed German shepherd demonstrated severe arthritis of the back and legs. The dog was mobile but walked with obvious difficulty and discomfort. The animal was refractory to both cortisone and phenylbutazone. MSM was provided in the diet at a level of 5 grams twice daily. There was gradual improvement in mobility over the first month. During the third month following MSM supplementation of the diet, the dog demonstrated neither musculoskeletal restriction nor discomfort.

A female mixed-breed terrier, weighing 20 kg, demonstrated severe restriction in mobility and obvious discomfort with movement. The animal had responded to neither cortisone nor phenylbutazone and her condition was deteriorating rapidly. MSM was included in the dog’s diet at 4 grams BID. After one week, the dog appeared to be free of pain. This dog received MSM for over six months and remained apparently healthy and frisky, requiring no medication.

BACK PROBLEMS IN HORSES

Dr. Metcalf reports having successfully treated many back and muscle problems in horses with MSM, including in his daughter’s jumper, thoroughbreds on the track, event horses, and show horses. These types of competition can strain a horse’s back, causing difficult-to=diagnose and difficult-to-treat problems. Dr. Metcalf treated his own horse, a four-year-old hunter-in-training. The horse had been unsuccessful in racing and had a history of chronic muscle soreness. Before MSM was added to his feed he was reluctant to race-throwing his ears back with frequent tail action. This horse, and all other horses studied received 12 to 15 grams BID in their feed. With this horse, it took about a week to see a significant change. He is now a different animal, appearing to enjoy his job.

GAIT DISORDER

Dr. Metcalf conducted a second trail with a yearling filly that exhibited a wobbly disorder of gait. This horse was to be examined shortly for a select thoroughbred yearling sale. The owner was unwilling to allow the work-up required to determine a specific diagnosis. With the hope that it was a herpes involvement, he administered MSM (6 to 8 grams BID). The horse went through inspection and was passed by an exacting inspector. Dr. Metcalf’s rationale for trying MSM in this case stemmed from his success using intravenous DMSO with a few herpes-incoordinate animals. Fifteen percent of DMSO is converted to MSM in vivo.

EPIPHYSITIS

Dr. Metcalf reports having treated at least seven horses with confirmed epiphysitis, and each improved much faster with MSM than with conventional therapy. With these young horses, the dosage of MSM in each case was 10 to 20 grams added twice daily in the feed.

His most dramatic epiphysitis case was a filly being prepared for the select sale. When first seen, she appeared extremely sore-with marked reaction on palpation-and was reluctant to come out of the stall. The animal was to be inspected in one week. Her total intake of MSM during this week was roughly 100 grams. Dr. Metcalf reports that the animal was inspected after a week’s treatment and passed.

PLEURITIS

A filly foal was seen with marked pleuritis, demonstrating no active infection but extremely noisy lungs. MSM was added to the feed at 12 to 14 grams per day as a split feed addition over five days. No medication was used in conjunction with the MSM. The fibrous pleurisy cleared, and her lungs were clear to auscultation after the fifth day.

GASTROINTESTINAL DISTURBANCES

A yearling filly had an ongoing problem with a history of frequent recurrent digestive tract disturbances beginning when she was a suckling. The horse seemed to respond to treatment with cimetidine, aloe vera, and coating agents. With treatment termination, she demonstrated varying degrees of discomfort within a short time. Dr. Metcalf added MSM to the horse’s diet at 12 to 14 grams per day as a split addition for approximately 90 days, and she became problem free. In a related case, a suckling with signs of acute gastritis was responding well to cimetidine. Symptoms returned, however, when treatment was discontinued for 10 days. The foal had been given a combination of MSM and aloe vera over a 10-day period and soon regained good health.

An Arabian stallion in Georgia developed a severe case of diarrhea that was refractory to treatment. Specialists were consulted to no avail, and the horse became debilitated. The horse was placed on MSM supplementation (in his grain at each feeding); no doses specified per Dr. Metcalf’s instructions, and in a matter of days, the feces firmed up, the odor improved, and the horse made a full recovery in six weeks.

OSTEOCHONDROSIS (HORSES)

Dr. Metcalf wrote that there is considerable variation in the degree of pathology evident in different cases of osteochondrosis. If there is major damage to the joint, Dr. Metcalf reports that MSM will provide limited benefit but is nevertheless worth trying. He recommended one ounce (30 grams) twice daily in the feed.

REHABILITATION FROM EXTREME NEGLECT

This following case was submitted to Dr. Metcalf from a client in Little Rock, Arkansas.

My Boss…took in two thoroughbred broodmares, one with a foal at side…We sent my vet down to the place they were before we got them and they were so bad that he said he (should) have turned the owner over to the Humane Society, and he said that the horses were both foundered…and that the baby seemed to have some trouble with her stifle joints. The filly (was) approximately 3 months old. He told me that if we made the horses live, he would be surprised…

One of the mares was so foundered that it took 5 minutes to get her to walk about fifty feet to the paddock that we had prepared for her. The other one was in very bad shape and one of her back hooves was at least 12 inches long making the pastern angle extreme. This is the one with the filly and she just didn’t seem to have enough bag to be milking one. The filly was pretty bad but still hobbling around.

We immediately wormed them and gave them baths, I forgot to mention that they both had Rain Rot (I call it the Arkansas Creeping Crud), and proceeded to feed them a little at a time. And of course we got their feet trimmed.

In just about one week (on feed and MSM), the older mare had started walking better, the filly was frolicking around the paddock, and the one with the 12-inch long foot was making better bag and just all around looked better. Their skin was more pliable and their hair coat was almost shiny. When we got them they were so dried out it was hard to see what color they were…

We ran out of MSM and…went about one week without it. My husband came out to the farm on the weekend and asked why the mares looked like they were going down hill when, just last week, we had them looking so much better. The next day, the filly’s stifles locked up on her…We received (the MSM three days later) and immediately started everyone mentioned on it again, and in 2 days the filly was once again walking normally, and both of the broodmares seemed to start picking up once again. And the older mare was walking easier also.

I don’t mind telling you that I have been in the horse business all of my life and am very familiar with people claiming they have the “Miracle of the Horse Industry” that will cure all evils, etc…I was the skeptic on the farm, and my boss talked me into sending for the MSM. I am (now) a very firm believer in your MSM and am planning to start my Arabian mare and colt on it…

OVERALL HEALTH

Immature laboratory animals, including dogs, consistently gained weight at a greater rate than controls when MSM was included in their water and/or food. This was observed at both low and high dosage levels, from 60 mg to approximately 500 mg/kg body weight per day. In addition, the fur quality improved and somewhat faster nail growth was noted. Weight increases were not seen with adult animals during comparable feed experiments that did not include MSM.

NAILGROWTH

To determine the effect of MSM on nail growth, two littermate female Labrador retrievers, aged 8.5 months, were maintained in side-by-side straw bedded cages. Before any testing, impressions were taken of the front paws of each dog.

Each dog was fed dog chow and water ad libitum for 45 days. One of the dogs (animal A) had no change of ration and the other (animal B) was supplied with additional water containing 5% MSM. After 45 days, plaster impressions of the front paws of each dog were repeated. Pre-and post-study castings of each animal were compared. The straw bedding protected both animals from normal nail wear. ON visual examination, the nails of animal B were, on average, approximately one-eighth inch longer than those of animal A.

ANIMAL COATS

The coats of animals A and B mentioned above were examined by three individuals. Each judged the coat of animal B to be superior, based on thickness and the shiny appearance generally associated with good health.

In another study, ten 4-week-old guinea pigs were housed in individual metal cages in a standard-temperature room employing a 12-hour light/dark cycle. The animals were acclimated over a five-day period and fed guinea pig chow with water ad libitum. On day six, five animals were marked on the belly with red and the other five with blue water-insoluble ink. The marks were not visible when the animals were observed from above. After marking, each animal was returned to its cage and corresponding red or blue tape affixed to the animal’s watering bottle. The red-marked bottles were maintained with tap water and the blue-marked bottles were filled with tap water captaining 2% MSM by weight. After 28 days on these regimens, the animals were placed in common confinement on a lighted table. Four individuals, totally unfamiliar with the test and its purpose were asked to evaluate the coat of each animal.

Animals at each evaluation were removed by the evaluator and placed into one of two groups based on better or poorer quality of the animal’s coat without seeing the color on the animal’s belly. Three of the four evaluators quickly selected five animals with superior coats, all of which were later determined to be in the MSM-treated group. The fourth evaluator selected three animals with a blue belly mark as having superior coats but concluded he could not distinguish better from the poorer with the remaining seven animals.

EQUINE PLEURITIS

A case has been reported of a breeding mare, treated for a respiratory infection, that developed bilateral fibrinous pleuritis, easily heard with auscultation of the chest. After six weeks of therapy with a combination of conventional antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, there was little improvement. Conventional treatment was terminated and five days of MSM therapy (12 grams BID) was initiated as monotherapy. By the fifth day, the animal reportedly demonstrated no more pain, and the breathing had returned to normal. Auscultation of the chest was normal. The horse remained healthy for a follow-up period of observation lasting two years.

HYPERPARATHYROIDISM WITH EPIPHYSITIS

One study reports on two colts and four fillies, all diagnosed as having hyperparathyroidism secondary to nutritional inadequacy with concomitant epiphysitis. Each animal was provided with 12 grams of MSM BID in a bran/molasses blend mixed with their standard dry feed prior to feeding. The supplemented feed was well accepted. All signs and symptoms of the disease were corrected by MSM therapy in all animals within 7 to 10 days. Except for the added MSM, there was no change in the diet of these seven horses.

STRESS DEATHS

Stress death is a common phenomenon for some species of animals. IN chickens, the deaths are attributed to crowded living and transport conditions and poor handling; turkeys are also susceptible to stress deaths. Tropical species of fish, sold commercially for aquariums, are sensitive to changes in the composition and temperature of their water and may succumb to stress death if not properly housed and fed. MSM is reportedly useful in reducing the incidence of stress-related deaths when administered daily for 7 to 90 days; the preferred dosage, according to one researcher, is between 0.01 and 5 mg/kg body weight per day.

Robert J. Herschler reports conducting a study in which he fed broiler chickens less than a few days old one of two diets” standard feed or standard feed plus 0.2% MSM by weight for 30 days. Herschler reported “a significant difference between the stress death rates in the two lots during that period.” In chicks fed unmodified feed, the death rate approached 10% whereas those fed MSM-modified feed had a death rate of less than 1%.

In another study, 62 two-in goldfish were divided into two 31-population lots and placed in two acclimated aquariums, maintained at 50°F. On receipt of the fish, two small one-gallon aquariums were filled with tap water and stabilized for five days by aeration with an aerator/filter combination connected to an aquarium air pump. Air delivery during the test period was standardized at 100 milliliters of air per minute. From a one-ounce package of goldfish food, two 10-gram samples were removed. One sample was left untreated, and the other was moistened with about one milliliter of pure ethanol containing 0.2 grams MSM in solution. Both feeds were pulverized to a coarse powder suitable for the feeding of small fishes.

During the acclimatization and test periods one batch of fish (batch A) were fed 0.5 grams of untreated food once daily; batch B fish were fed 0.5 grams of the feed containing MSM. Most of each feeding was consumed in the first five to 10 minutes after delivery. During the fifth day, 25 fish from batch A were transferred to one small aquarium (designated A) and 25 fish from batch B were moved to the other small aquarium (designated B). Before transfer, the temperature of each aquarium was adjusted with ice to 41°F. The water was allowed to return to 50°F after the fish were added to the tank. The fish from both batches were thus subject to a total of a 9° temperature change, which greatly stressed them. Feeding was resumed after withholding food for one day in the small tanks. By day 10 there had been a total of 11 deaths in aquarium A (control) and one death in aquarium B. The author concluded that addition of 2% MSM to the feed of these fish reduced stress deaths significantly.

This information was derived from the book, “MSM, The Definitive Guide”, by Dr. Stanley Jacobs and Jeremy Appleton.