DMSO is dimethyl sulfoxide, an industrial solvent.

It's not something you need to force her to "take"; it's applied externally.
I've used it for all sorts of contusions, sprains, any traumatic injury
where the skin is not broken. Especially effective in this regard if you
combine it with Arnica gel which is specific for bruising. DMSO is a solvent
that moves right through the skin and carries whatever is there (such as
arnica) deep into muscle tissue.

One time when a draft horse stepped on my bare foot I hobbled home (100
yards) and washed the foot, applied arnica + DMSO and within seconds there
was no pain. I never even got a bruise. I applied it several more times that
day. Without this treatment I'd have lost several toenails and my foot would
have been very swollen and black.

Have used it many other times in similar ways. Best to apply immediately to
get quickest results and prevent swelling, bruising, but later is much
better than not at all. I would not be without this stuff in my first-aid
kit!

Buy it at a feed store, it's only about $4-5 for a jar of the gel. Arnica
gel you'll find in any health food store that carries homeopathic remedies.

DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) has the benefit, and the problem, of being
easily absorbed through skin.  It's accepted as a horse liniment, and
has at least one specialized use in human medicine.

It almost certainly has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, but
there are two levels of safety concern. First, it may be toxic to the
liver and kidneys, but so can a lot of other drugs. If that were the
only consideration, it might be safe to use with blood monitoring.

The danger is that industrial-purity supplies may themselves contain
toxic impurities that the DMSO can carry into the body, or it may act
as a conduit to carry substances on the skin into the body. For
example, cyanide salts are not usually absorbed from the skin, but a
cyanide in DMSO solution can be quite dangerous -- an example from an
industrial use.  

As a drug, it probably has a worse safety reputation than it really
warrants, as long as its purity is pharmaceutical grade, and the skin
where it is applied is cleaned thoroughly. If alcohol or other solvents
are used to clean the skin, they must evaporate completely before the
DMSO is applied.

My gran suggested I try cod-liver oil, but again, it's

Cod-liver oil is toxic for cats apparently, it can cause spinal
problems. Getting them to take it through isn't the problem- Sarrasine
tries to open the bottle

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs