Friday morning I found my 32 year old gelding laying down and was having trouble getting up.  He was laying on a down hill slope.  I finally managed to get him up but he had evidently thrashed around somewhat and was just exhausted.  He was not interested in eating but he did finally drink.  I thought that maybe he was trying to colic but he had good gut sounds.  I gave him Kolik Eaz anyway, love that stuff.  It just so happed that I had a vet coming that moring to look at my other gelding.  The Vet suggested we run some IV though the 32 year old and she also gave him a shot of Banamine.  He tolerated all very well, even though he later smelled like garlic because of the DMSO that was used in the IV.  

My question to those that have used the DMSO this way or any Vets on here if afterwards that the horse was not interested in eating any grain?  He was just not interested in eating his regular grain but he would eat some of the soaked alfalfa cubes.  This morning he just started to eat more of his grain.  Could he be that everything tasted like garlic for the reason why he wouldn't eat his grain until it wore off?  Just curious.

I dont think it has anything to do with the DMSO. You were saying after the incident of the entrapment of laying down and having trouble getting up that he was not interested in eating, I think he just did not feel good enought to eat.

Just curious as the whole barn smelled of garlic.  Not sure what happened.  I do know that he thrashed enough to knock some hair off his head.

My vet is having me nebulize DMSO for airway inflammation 2x a day. THe steam reeks of garlic!! Having said that, my horse LOVES it, he tries to eat the mist instead of just breathe it in! LOL I know there are a lot of people who feed garlic powder for fly control, so my guess its not the DMSO smell. 

In my experience it is common for the place to smell like garlic after given the dmso.  When I worked at the vet clinic, they would use the dmso on west niles horses and the place reeked of it.

What does DMSO actually do. 

Its used as an anti-inflammatory and can be a carrier for other meds for better absorption when used as a gel for sore muscles or pulled muscles, I had my vet to mix me up a cocktail of it with other meds when I had a gelding bow a tendon.. 

What I did not know was that it can also be mixed with an IV fluid.  I called my Vet and asked why the horse smelled like garlic and she said because she mixed in the DMSO with the IV fluid.  I did not know you could ingest DMSO I thought it was just for topical use.

THIS.

It is a very strong carrier for other medications. For instance in cases of strong EPM, it is one of the only things that can help medication cross the BBB (Blood brain barrier) for neurologic symptoms.

ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES

Yes always wear gloves.  Back several years ago I had a mare who had trouble birthing.  She passed away as she expelled her utrus.  So I raised the colt on a bottle.  Poor thing as not only the trauma of losing his mother, he had a hernia (operation at 3 months) also he had naval illness where his joints swelled and he could not bend his legs.  Vet had us put DMSO on his legs.  Unfortunately I did not wear gloves and I myself tasted garlic and I reeked of garlic smell.