Problems with MSM?

[Ashby]

I swear I did a search and tried to find all the threads about supplements and MSM before posting this. Found nothing addressing my specific question, just sort of veiled peripheral hints. So here goes:

Have any of you had issues with using MSM? I tried it on my OTTB mare a couple of years ago and it seemed to turn her into a nervous wreck, so sensitive and jumpy that she trembled if I so much as touched her with a brush. I put her on, took her off, and put her on again as an experiment, and it seemed to be a pretty clear connection even though it wasn’t exactly a scientific trial. When I gave her a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement, I had to make sure it didn’t have MSM in it as Cosequin does.

Now I’m dealing with another mare who seems wonky on an erratic basis that’s not clearly connected to her cycle. She’s on MSM due to previous injuries. I just wondered if maybe she, too, was having a weird reaction to MSM.

Or maybe it’s just my overactive imagination. Maybe I’m nuts. That is a very real possibility. So has anybody else noticed horses seeming very up and hyper-reactive and nervous in response to MSM?

[Tee]

I have heard of horses having issues on MSM, turning into nervous wrecks. Haven’t seen it personally and none of mine have had any issues.

[GraceLikeRain]

My sensitive girl is great on a double dose of MSM but went wack on magnesium. Certainly seems worth a shot to pull her off the MSM before you look into other things.

[GoForAGallop]

There’s been a few threads on this.

Yes, for a small percentage of horses, MSM just sends them off their rockers. It might not be as small as thought, and it’s just passed off for general spookiness.

I have a solid, bombproof gelding. He could not be any more of an easy going horse (at least on the ground!). I have tried to start him on MSM three times over my 10 years of ownership, and each time it turned my brave, calm gelding into a quivering bundle of nerves.

[buck22]

Yes, when my now aged gelding was in his youth he could not tolerate MSM, it had him crawling out of his skin.

15 years later however, he is on a daily dose with no side effect and its very helpful to him.

[2DogsFarm]

Weird.
But enough anecdotal evidence to support seeing an adverse reaction {shrugs}

I’ve had 5 different horses on MSM and no side effects noted in any.
FWIW: all were/are geldings. Breeds: TB, TWH(2), WB & Hackney

Latest subjects include the Hackney pony - a breed known & bred for “wackiness” - and he has actually calmed down since I’ve had him.
I’m not saying the MSM helped this, just that he’s not showing any ill effects from this supplement.

[ReSomething]

Snort was as squirrelly as they get and he has had no real changes for the worse as a result of using MSM, but I believe that it helps him hobble around better. I AM going to vote for that Vita calm mag supplement we put him on around July 4. He’s either gotten so old he’s slowed down or it works pretty good.

[atr]

Yes, my most sensible gelding turned into a whack job on MsM.

[melhorse]

MSM is a form of glucose-sugar and will affect some horses in a bad way. Just stop feeding it and go to something else

[PonyGirl15]

If my horse gets more than 2500mg of MSM, he is a whack job! I posted a thread last winter about it. I would suggest if you want to put her on it, then maybe buy a pure form that is 100% and then you can control how much she is getting. I think some horses just can’t tolerate the 5000mg+ doses.

[fooler]

Several family members and myself have developed an allergy to sulphur medications and for red wines with sulfites. Some symptoms are mouth sores and gastric upset. My TB mare developed gastric issues after a month or so on MSM. We didn’t tie it to the MSM as other horses on MSM improved. Her stomach rumbled and grumbled very loudly which was very uncommon for her. Also she went off of her feed, which is why we took her MSM. The stomach upset went away within a week of stopping the MSM.

Given how lousy I feel on sulphur, I understand how horses can exhibit all sorts of odd reactions when they don’t tolerate sulphur. She is 34+ years old and still does not tolerate MSM even when included as part of a top dress. I have her on Previcoxx mainly because most OTC joint supplements contain MSM.

[Texarkana]

[QUOTE=atr;7111225]
Yes, my most sensible gelding turned into a whack job on MsM.[/QUOTE]

Mine too!

[Larbear]

[QUOTE=melhorse;7111325]
MSM is a form of glucose-sugar and will affect some horses in a bad way. Just stop feeding it and go to something else[/QUOTE]

Huh? It’s a metabolite of DMSO and considered a bioavailable form of sulfur to reduce inflammation.