Talk to me about Capsaicin?

[Ozone]

for my horses' osteoarthritis...

pro's ....con's...???

[Lieslot]

Well I got a little too excited about this product, so I went off on a blimp and bought 3 pots of Equi-Block and 4 bottles of Equi-Block DT, only to find out when I smothered my horse's hocks with it he went mental from (my guess) the burning skin sensation it must have giving him. So I spent the next half hour cold hosing his hocks and rubbing with betadine to get it all off.
He was seriously unhappy about it.
I haven't dared using it since.

I'd be interested to read how others find the product or have had similar experiences. It may be that I was overly zealous with it and just applied too much in one go.

[deltawave]

It is not a quick fix, and since animals can't really say "that's too much!" you have to go easy with the stuff at first, and build up slowly.

The theory is that the constant stimulation of the skin (yes, it burns) gradually causes depletion of one of the neurotransmitters that carries pain signals over the same nerve pathways to the brain. It actually does NOTHING for the arthritis itself, but it can give some pain relief by blocking locally-produced pain signals.

Again, it is something that works gradually, and the patient has to build up a tolerance to the stuff by definition. And it actually does nothing at all to effect the actual disease process in any meaningful way. With those two things in mind, it's probably on the list of things I would try on an animal if simpler and less tedious things didn't work. If you use it sporadically, it won't work, and you have to keep up with it.

A small tool in the toolbox, but nothing that works miracles. :)

[Ltc4h]

In desparation trying to dull a pinched nerve in my shoulder I used it myself.
I have no intentions of ever using it on a horse.
In moderation it gets warm, same as any other similar product, as above if you use to much it can get to the point of unbearable and in all situations felt no pain relieving properties.
:DIf you've ever had nerve pain you understand the need for horse meds.:lol: