Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My partner was told by a vet that milk thistle often as a nutrient additive. Especially during high stress periods such as breeding.

My partner feels very strongly about this and wants me to feed all the boas that he has invested in milk thistle as an additive with every feeding. I am somewhat weary about this because I have no clue what it is (I gather it has something to do with milk? heh) nor if it has any negative consequences.

Could anyone shed any light on negatives/positives to such additives?

I was always under the impression that rats provided all the nutrients they need to live healthy.
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Take Care,

-Ryan Homsey

www.topnotchboas.com

the silent partner is always best being silent....lol.

I have never heard of anyone using this as a supplement, and honestly I do not know of any large scale / successful breeders using supplements.

Anyone have ideas?
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Chris & Alliey
www.bloodyleopard.com
E-mail Us

Although I'm sure there are some suppliments out there that could provide benefits with little to no negatives... I have never really heard of anyone using them regularly.

My main concern is whether or not giving my boas milk thistle will cause any negative reactions.

>>the silent partner is always best being silent....lol.
>>
>>
>>I have never heard of anyone using this as a supplement, and honestly I do not know of any large scale / successful breeders using supplements.
>>
>>Anyone have ideas?
>>-----
>>Chris & Alliey
>>www.bloodyleopard.com
>>E-mail Us
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Take Care,

-Ryan Homsey

www.topnotchboas.com

"My main concern is whether or not giving my boas milk thistle will cause any negative reactions."

If they are your boas treat them the way that works for you. If they are his boas treat them the way that works for him.

I wouldn't expect any less from someone I had a breeding loan going with.

Good luck.
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Ed Lilley, www.constrictorsnw.com
www.reptileinsider.com

As far as I know bodybuilders use this product to safeguard the liver from all types of liver disorders, when doing a heavy cycle of drugs that are know to cause liver problems. A side from that I never heard of it used in anything else.
Please if someone know diff. please let us know.
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Joel Pretz
JP Reptiles

No human or animal needs any herb all the time. Herbs are like medicine, they have potency, and they are used to correct things gone wrong, not as a daily tonic except a very few tonic herbs. This is not one of those. Milk thistle can cause liver problems in large doses so don't overdose your snakes. WIll they have a bad reaction? No one can say, because we are all different. There are no studies to go by, in other words this is like a drug trial ie could be dangerous. Even snakes might be allergic to things. How are you administering it, shooting up rats with extract?

Here an excerpt from a FAQ on milk thistle (http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/alt/milkthistle_faq.htm):
". . .Milk Thistle's main active bioconstituent is Silymarin. Silymarin selectively acts as an anti-oxidant and protects the b.d. from free radical damage specifically in the intestines and stomach. It increases the liver's content of GSH (glutathione) which is a substance in detoxifying many potentially damaging hormones, chemicals, and drugs (including acetaminophen) It has demonstrated a membrane stabilizing action, which inhibits or prevents lipid peroxidation. It seems to alter the structures of outer wall membranes of hepatocytes, preventing penetration of liver poisons and stimulates the action of nuclear polymerase A. It may increase ribosomal protein synthesis and stimulate the formation of new hepatocytes..."

Caden

Thanks for the information.

Very good points.

Apparently he can get it in pill form... which can be put inside rats prior to feeding.

>>No human or animal needs any herb all the time. Herbs are like medicine, they have potency, and they are used to correct things gone wrong, not as a daily tonic except a very few tonic herbs. This is not one of those. Milk thistle can cause liver problems in large doses so don't overdose your snakes. WIll they have a bad reaction? No one can say, because we are all different. There are no studies to go by, in other words this is like a drug trial ie could be dangerous. Even snakes might be allergic to things. How are you administering it, shooting up rats with extract?
>>
>>Here an excerpt from a FAQ on milk thistle (http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/alt/milkthistle_faq.htm):
>>". . .Milk Thistle's main active bioconstituent is Silymarin. Silymarin selectively acts as an anti-oxidant and protects the b.d. from free radical damage specifically in the intestines and stomach. It increases the liver's content of GSH (glutathione) which is a substance in detoxifying many potentially damaging hormones, chemicals, and drugs (including acetaminophen) It has demonstrated a membrane stabilizing action, which inhibits or prevents lipid peroxidation. It seems to alter the structures of outer wall membranes of hepatocytes, preventing penetration of liver poisons and stimulates the action of nuclear polymerase A. It may increase ribosomal protein synthesis and stimulate the formation of new hepatocytes..."
>>
>>Caden
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Take Care,

-Ryan Homsey

www.topnotchboas.com

You wrote this: "My partner was told by a vet that milk thistle often as a nutrient additive."

It is not a sentence, so it's hard to draft a resposne.
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2.1.0 Kidletts
0.0.1 Ball Pyhton (Rex)
0.0.1 Okeetee Corn (Maizey)
0.1.0 BCI (Ruby)
0.1.0 Cat (Ginger)
1.0.0 Pughuahua (Ranger)

I stopped typing part-way into that post and came back a few minutes later to finish it.. first sentance got fumbled up.

It should have read: My partner was told by a vet that milk thistle can often be used as a nutrient additive.

He has concluded that it should be used regularly in all of the boas diets. He is pretty dead set in doing it... and really I have no problem with supplimenting with beneficial additives but I am worried about potential adverse reactions.

>>You wrote this: "My partner was told by a vet that milk thistle often as a nutrient additive."
>>
>>It is not a sentence, so it's hard to draft a resposne.
>>-----
>>2.1.0 Kidletts
>>0.0.1 Ball Pyhton (Rex)
>>0.0.1 Okeetee Corn (Maizey)
>>0.1.0 BCI (Ruby)
>>0.1.0 Cat (Ginger)
>>1.0.0 Pughuahua (Ranger)
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Take Care,

-Ryan Homsey

www.topnotchboas.com

Milk Thistle is good for humans. I don't know what it would do to a reptile. You should call your Vet and see what he/she thinks of using this on reptiles. Here's a URL so you can read about the benefits of Milk Thistle.

http://www.herbalextractsplus.com/milk-thistle.cfm?gclid=COnJuqCzq4YCFSdxWAod1loeEA

From what I know about it the only time I would think Milk Thistle could possibly be beneficial to a snake would be when treating them for RI with antibiotics. At this time it may help to prevent any damage to the liver. Hope this helps Vinnie