Silverspray question

[heyitskevinn]

Hi.
For years I've used Equisilver silverspray, but I realized I'm running low.
So... Upon searching, they've changed the bottle and up-ed the price(?) and so I'm just wondering if anyone else uses/has used it and could tell me if it's good. Specifically, I use it on cuts and hotspots. I have good ex with the old line but now it's upgraded
Here is the product

 

[Caspers Human]

Silver preparations like this really have only limited effectiveness, at best, but they can also cause problems like argyria. (A permanent, blue-gray darkening of the skin.)

I think it is wise to avoid using preparations of silver unless you have a specific reason for doing so and you have professional guidance from a doctor or veterinarian.

Besides, the cost of silver, today (Jun. 22, 2020) is almost $18.00 per troy ounce.
I think there are plenty of other ways you can spend that kind of money that would be more beneficial and would have less risk of harm.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I have never heard of this, but many people use Colloidal Silver for what you are using it for. Maybe that's less expensive?

 

[heyitskevinn]

I think there are plenty of other ways you can spend that kind of money that would be more beneficial and would have less risk of harm

I don't care about money. What else would you suggest then?

 

[Caspers Human]

It's really hard to answer because, even though silver has an antimicrobial effect it has limits.

Astronauts on the International Space Station wear clothing that has microscopic silver woven into it because the antimicrobial action helps prevent body odor. You can imagine how being cooped up in a tin can for weeks and months at a time without changing clothes very often would make the space station smell like a livestock barn. The silver in their clothes stops bacterial growth that causes body odor and that is very useful.

There have been a few medical studies which have suggested that wound dressings with microscopic amounts of silver impregnated into them might help reduce the chance of a surgical incision getting infected but there hasn't been enough research done to definitively prove or disprove the theory. Some doctors say that silver-impregnated dressings work great. Some doctors say that they haven't seen a difference. Most doctors believe that proper care of surgical incisions during healing is more important than what's inside the dressings and they think that the extra expense of silver isn't necessary.

In the 1960's a drug called silver sulfadiazine was discovered to be useful in treating patients with burns to the skin. Back then, it was the go-to drug for treating burn patients to prevent infection but, in recent years, more modern treatments have made the use of silver sulfadiazine obsolete.

Back in the day, some doctors used to put eyedrops containing silver nitrate into the eyes of newborn babies to prevent eye infections but that has largely been discontinued because silver nitrate can cause darkening of the skin and, in extreme cases, burn the skin.

Dermatologists sometimes use preparations of silver nitrate to treat warts and things like that because it chemically burns the skin, causing the lesion to fall off.

So, yes, there are SOME benefits to using silver but its use is pretty limited. It is really not recommended to put silver, in any form, into or directly onto the body. It's positive effects haven't been proven definitively and there are some negative effects that need to be kept in mind. (Silver in the body CAN interfere with the action of some drugs.)

I went to the website you linked to in order to look up your product and to see what's in it.
The only things listed in the ingredients are water and "silver complex." They don't say what this "complex" is. They don't say how much of this "complex" is actually in the product. In fact, under the heading where the ingredients should be listed, they say, "proprietary."

The specific gravity (density) of the product is listed as 1.00.
Water has a specific gravity of 1.00. If there was much of anything else beside water, that number would go up, meaning that it is more dense. Whatever is in the stuff, it must be a very small amount.

The company that makes this product seems to be very evasive as to what's actually in the product and that makes me wonder whether there actually is anything.

I looked on the internet, for over an hour, to find any more information on this product than is found on the company's website and I came up empty handed. To be honest, I can't find any information that would make me think that this product has any more benefit than taking care of your cat's wounds or hot spots the traditional way.

 

[heyitskevinn]

It's really hard to answer because, even though silver has an antimicrobial effect it has limits.

Astronauts on the International Space Station wear clothing that has microscopic silver woven into it because the antimicrobial action helps prevent body odor. You can imagine how being cooped up in a tin can for weeks and months at a time without changing clothes very often would make the space station smell like a livestock barn. The silver in their clothes stops bacterial growth that causes body odor and that is very useful.

There have been a few medical studies which have suggested that wound dressings with microscopic amounts of silver impregnated into them might help reduce the chance of a surgical incision getting infected but there hasn't been enough research done to definitively prove or disprove the theory. Some doctors say that silver-impregnated dressings work great. Some doctors say that they haven't seen a difference. Most doctors believe that proper care of surgical incisions during healing is more important than what's inside the dressings and they think that the extra expense of silver isn't necessary.

In the 1960's a drug called silver sulfadiazine was discovered to be useful in treating patients with burns to the skin. Back then, it was the go-to drug for treating burn patients to prevent infection but, in recent years, more modern treatments have made the use of silver sulfadiazine obsolete.

Back in the day, some doctors used to put eyedrops containing silver nitrate into the eyes of newborn babies to prevent eye infections but that has largely been discontinued because silver nitrate can cause darkening of the skin and, in extreme cases, burn the skin.

Dermatologists sometimes use preparations of silver nitrate to treat warts and things like that because it chemically burns the skin, causing the lesion to fall off.

So, yes, there are SOME benefits to using silver but its use is pretty limited. It is really not recommended to put silver, in any form, into or directly onto the body. It's positive effects haven't been proven definitively and there are some negative effects that need to be kept in mind. (Silver in the body CAN interfere with the action of some drugs.)

I went to the website you linked to in order to look up your product and to see what's in it.
The only things listed in the ingredients are water and "silver complex." They don't say what this "complex" is. They don't say how much of this "complex" is actually in the product. In fact, under the heading where the ingredients should be listed, they say, "proprietary."

The specific gravity (density) of the product is listed as 1.00.
Water has a specific gravity of 1.00. If there was much of anything else beside water, that number would go up, meaning that it is more dense. Whatever is in the stuff, it must be a very small amount.

The company that makes this product seems to be very evasive as to what's actually in the product and that makes me wonder whether there actually is anything.

I looked on the internet, for over an hour, to find any more information on this product than is found on the company's website and I came up empty handed. To be honest, I can't find any information that would make me think that this product has any more benefit than taking care of your cat's wounds or hot spots the traditional way.

I agree. I've seen improvement with it everytime I use it however, so I'm not sure what to think. What sort of general wound/hotspot/rash spray do you reccomend?

 

[Caspers Human]

Povidone-iodine is okay to use on cats and dogs... the same thing you can buy at the drug store for use on humans.
Povidone is only for use on minor cuts or abrasions. Large, open or bleeding cuts or other injuries should be seen by a vet.

Regular Neosporin is also okay for cats and dogs. (NOT the "Pain Relief" kind. The regular, old, plain Neosporin.) Again, only for minor things. Talk to a vet about anything else.
Some cats will lick the spot where you apply Neosporin in order to clean themselves. Although small amounts of the stuff aren't harmful, Neosporin isn't meant to be taken internally. (By humans or animals.) If you put Neosporin on your cat's injuries, you should monitor to be sure the cat isn't licking it off. Use only a small amount. If applied in a place where a cat can't reach to lick, it shouldn't be a problem.
As with anything like this, YMMV.

The only thing to watch out for is that some animals (and people) can be allergic or sensitive to some of the ingredients to either povidone or Neosporin. It's a small proportion of the population. Probably only 1 to 2 percent of the population. Not enough to be worried about but enough that people should be aware.

There may be some better things on the market, nowadays. If you really want to know more you should talk to your vet. I feel pretty sure that your vet will probably say that povidone and Neosporin are okay but vets go to school for this kind of stuff. Right?