Colloidal Silver

[JimiSnakes]

Anyone ever heard of this? I have been talking with a few Boa breeders over the phone. It's supposed to help with all infections and makes for healthier snakes. They said to just add it to the water...a little bit mind you. I did some research and it's supposed to be really good for people too. Check it out: http://www.silvermedicine.org/sitemap.html and http://nkarande.users.btopenworld.com/home2.htm
Because I don't listen to everything that I read on the web, I figured that I'd ask around here and see what others know about it. I know that it is used by a lot of snake breeders where there is lots of snakes.

[JimiSnakes]

*bump*

Nothing huh?

[Waldorf_301]

never heard of it, sorry.

[JimiSnakes]

I'm going to try it. A few reputable breeders use it because it cuts down on bacteria in the water and prevents infections. I'll try it on my aging Rosy Boa for six months. She is prone to everything, so we'll see.

[jglass38]

Looks like more snake oil to me:

http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery.../silverad.html

I would keep doing what youre doing!

[Ginevive]

Is i kinda like a silver version of Goldschlager (sp?)? The cinnamony alcoholic beverage with real gold chips in it?

[jglass38]

Is i kinda like a silver version of Goldschlager (sp?)? The cinnamony alcoholic beverage with real gold chips in it?

Except that Goldschlager has proven benefits!! It even makes me attractive to women! I love that stuff!

[JimiSnakes]

Agyria is caused when silver is ground up into a powder, and put into suspension with protien binders and the like. That was the common method way back then.

[the_deeb]

[QUOTE=jim020cricket]
I did some research and it's supposed to be really good for people too. [QUOTE]

I would be very cautious with using colloidal silver. Very little legitimate research has been done on the effects of colloidal silver in humans, let alone reptiles. Keep in mind that the websites you listed make lots of claims but don't provide any good references - the few articles that are mentioned focus on in-vitro antimicrobial effects (in a test tube) and don't deal at all with toxicity issues. As far as I'm aware the few peer-reviewed studies that exist have failed to find any benefits and have concluded that the risks certainly outweigh the benefits. Argyria is a very real risk with colloidal silver, not just powdered silver.

If you're interested here are some articles you might want to take note of:

Gulbranson et al. Argyria following the use of dietary supplements containing colloidal silver protein. Cutis. 2000 Nov;66(5):373-4

Wadhera A, Fung M. Systemic argyria associated with ingestion of colloidal. Dermatol Online J. 2005 Mar 1;11(1):12

Fung MC, Bowden DL. Silver products for medical indications: risk-benefit assessment. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1996;34(1):119-26

[JimiSnakes]

thanks. I don't think it's worth it though. That stuff is like 80 dollars a bottle!