COLLOIDAL SILVER

[Niki_K]

I have read this with interest (thanks Gary for bumping it up!)- I was (maybe still am) of the opinion that colloidal silver was codswallop. However, the woman who runs the rescue group I foster dogs through swears by it to prevent kennel cough from sweeping through her dogs when she gets a new pound puppy in. She recommended that I put a teaspoon in the dogs drinking water to prevent my other dogs getting kennel cough from sharing a water bowl (i.e. acting as a disinfectant to kill germs in the water bowl).
I have had 2 cases of dogs coming in with kennel cough and passing it on to my dogs, but on the occasion that I used this, the kennel cough was restricted to the animal that had it originally.
Edited for clarity.

[Myzomela]

Silver impregnated wound dressings have been around for some time and seem to work well.
However, that is very different to ingesting the stuff.
I would want some pretty solid evidence that this stuff a) works and b) is safe before I'll use it, not just testimonials.

[BrettB]

This thread has confused several uses of silver.

1. Ingesting colloidal silver has not been shown to be of any benefit and should be avoided
2. Using silver as a disinfectant may have some effect , but there are cheaper and better options
3. Using silver impregnated dressing to treat wounds/burns has a long history and may not be totally useless.

Cheers
Brett

[Craig52]

Silver impregnated wound dressings have been around for some time and seem to work well.
However, that is very different to ingesting the stuff.
I would want some pretty solid evidence that this stuff a) works and b) is safe before I'll use it, not just testimonials.

Myzo,old time farmers used to throw silver tea pots or anything made from silver in their water tanks,it was supposed to be used to disinfect their water so they could have been ingesting minute silver particals.Maybe that's why they died at an early age or was it just hard work. Craig

[Diane]

When my Mum fell about 2 years ago she had a very deep wound about 3 inches across on her knee this took took 18 months to heal. After her recent fall 2 days before Christmas 2013 she sustained exactly the same kind of injury, this has been treated with a tube of silver ointment at every bandage change. Just last week she has been taken off the Hospital at Home list. 4 months to healed this time.

[Tiaris]

My next-door neighbour makes a very good living out of selling liquid silver-based disinfectant and antiseptic products. His main customers are surgeons, dentists and hospitals around Australia & overseas. Apparently the effectiveness of silver has far greater acceptance in modern human medicine than it does in veterinary medicine.

[Myzomela]

Tiaris, I"m not sure that you read my post correctly.
I agreed that silver has use as a topical antiseptic/ disinfectant which is how you say your neighbour is selling it.
What I don't agree with is its oral use.

[Sime]

Apparently, silver imbedded into the heart of a werewolf is quite effective

Sorry, couldn't resist.