For Cuts, Scrapes, and Acidents:
Mix together one pint water, one half teaspoon salt, and one half teaspoon calendula tincture; soak an injured paw in this. If the wound is on the body, put the solution into a squirt bottle or large syringe and gently apply to the injured area. Repeat soaking or application every four to six hours for the first
twentyfour hours.
For Bites and Scratches:
Make up a solution of one pint water, one half teaspoon salt, and one half teaspoon echinacea/goldenseal tincture. (You can also use a strong brew of
echinacea/goldenseal tea if no tinture is available.) Rinse out fresh wounds and punctures with large amounts of this solution, using a squirt bottle or a syringe. Hydrogen Peroxide may also be used to clean wounds, but it an damage delicate tissues. Cat fight wounds are notorious for forming abcesses. If the abcess is draining, clean it with the echinacea/goldenseal
solution. Caution, wear latex gloves when handling an abcess.
For Tissue Trauma:
If your pet falls, gets stepped on, is in a fight, or is otherwise bruised, the homeopathic remedy arnica can speed recovery. Give two pellets of arnica 30c once per hour for three hours following the injury. Many vets use arnica before and after surgery to hasten healing.
For Choking:
You can perform the Heimlich maneuver on animals. This technique uses a quick, firm thrust at the level of the diaphragm to create air pressure that will expel a foreign object from the windpipe. Lift a small pet, or reach over the back of a large one and raise the back legs, so that the rear end is elevated over the head. Place your hands around the lowest part of the hest and
give a quick, gentle thrust inward and upward. Remember to scale the force of your thrust to the size of your pet. For smaller pets, imagine you are performing this on an infant or toddler.
For Cowpie Stool:
When your dog scavenges something from the compost pile, it irritates the bowel; this creates nerve impulses that signal the gut to speed up. When food moves too quickly through the gut, the result is loose stools. In dogs and cats with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, the guts responds as if irritated at the slightest stress or change of diet. The herb slippery elm an help restore a pets comfort and the pet owner's sanity. Available as powder or capsules, slippery elm coats the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, counteracting the irritation and allowing stools to firm up. Put one tablespoon of the powder (break open capsules) into one pint of water and bring to a boil to thicken. Let cool, and administer by mouth, a teaspoon or less for small pets, several tablespoons for large dogs, every two to four hours, until the gut settles down (usuall eight to twentyfour hours). A temporary fast and a change to a bland diet also help. Remove food for eight hours (keep fresh water available); then feed a small amount of gruel made from water, cooked white rice, and shredded cooked chicken. Phase in regular food after 48 hours.
For Itchiness:
Pruritis (the medical term for chronic itchiness) affects more than half of pets dogs and many cats. Flea allergy dermatitis is especially common. For ongoing problems, get your vet's recommendations, and try one of these
low-tech remedies.
Oatmeal Bath:
Put uncooked oatmeal, or oats, into a sok or nylon stocking and run a tubfull of warm to lukewarm water over it. Soak your pet in the water, for five to ten minutes. If your pet dislikes bathing, apply the soaked stocking as a poultice to sore areas. No rinsing is needed.
Aloe Vera:
Break off a piece of the plant and apply the thick juice directly to areas that look raw. (If you use commercial aloe, be sure to find some without preservatives or additives, since pets are bound to lick it off.)
Jojoba, Almond, or Olive Oil:
Mix one part oil to ten parts warm water in a spray bottle and spritz your pet. Massage in with a towel. This helps to break up scabs or scales.
Hot Spots:
This type of moist dermatitis develops when bacteria multiplies rapidly in an area that has been scratched raw or is under a mat of tangled fur, and intenseitching itching and pain result. If you see a hot spot developing, clip the hair around it, then clean the area thoroughly. Keep it open and apply calendula soaks (Listed above).Contact your vet if the hot spot persists.
For Itchy Ears:
Aloe vera or the contents from a vitamin E capsule can soothe red or inflamed areas of the ear. A gentle cleaning with a cotton swab or gauze dipped into vegetable oil can help remove a buildup of wax and dirt.
Remember that dog and cat ear canals take right-angle turn at the base of the ear, and be careful not to jam anything deep into the ear canal.
For Sore or Runny Eyes:
A simple rinse of sterile saline solution can help a mild eye irritation. Continue as drops every four hours, until clear. If symptoms increase, have the vet check the pet's eyes.
For Arthritis:
Ease chronic pain from hip dysplasia, disk disease, and other typs of Arthritis in dogs with these home remedies.
Massage:
A massage helps to relieve muscle tensions that contribute to pain. Be gentle. Start from the center of the body and work your way outward. If feet are too sensitive, leave them alone.
Nutrition:
Nutritional research suggests that suppliments containing chondroitin sulfate and glucosaminoglycans can help inflamed or damaged joints. Check with your vet or health food store.
Creature comforts:
Egg crate foam and other creature comforts can bring relief to older and arthritic pets. Buy enough foam for two or three beds, cover the foam with washable covers (easy to make from old towels), and put them into places
your pet likes to sleep.
Pest Control:
The most successful anti-flea tools are a good diet fed to your pet and nontoxic borate salts applied around the home to control flea eggs and larvae. The best place for a flea ollar is in the bag of your vacuum cleaner, so the fleas you sweep up stay put. Give your dog a flea bath with a limonene shampoo, and flea-comb him
thoroughly while he is in the water so the fleas drown.
How To Pull A Tick:
Worries about leaving the head in ar overstated. If you are concerned, apply vaseline or some flea spray to the tick, wait a few seconds, then pull it out.
Worms:
Dogs and cats get roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and whipworms. Tapeworm segments appear as wiggling, rice-like particles in the stool. Worms are easily treated with conventional medication. Feeding ground pumpkin seds can make your pet's intestines less hospitable to worms. Grind the seeds in a blender and feed half teaspoon to one tablespoon per meal (depending on the size of your pet) for one week out of every month. If your pet scoots around on his bottem, this rarely indicates worms; most likely an anal sac problem is the cause. Anal sacs are filled by small glands below the tail. They are the reason dogs sniff each others
behinds. The sacs empty regularly on their own: if they don't, itching and burning cause the animal to drag his or her bottom. You can empty the sacs by gently
squeezing the areas on both sides of the anus at the four o'clock and eight o'clock positions. Be sure to wear gloves and step to one side as you do this! If
the sacs don't empty easily or seem impacted, see your vet.
