There are lots of good reasons to investigate all
forms of therapy and treatments from conventional veterinarian medicine, to herbal
remedies, to homeopathic veterinarian therapy to chiropractic therapy.
All of these approaches to canine health are important and have their place. One should
never negate the others. Always, if in doubt, consult your regular veterinarian. I do.
That said, the following represent some of the things I have found to be very effective. I
will not include conventional veterinarian medicine here as that is better handled by a
vet. I do tend to lean towards herbal remedies whenever possible for several reasons:
Please note that I am adding to
this section constantly. Please check back -- or if there are any topics you would like to
see listed, please e-mail me at topdog@working-dog.com
and suggest them.
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Should you have any
questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at topdog@working-dog.com
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Boric Acid
If I feel I must flush with something, I use a Boric Acid solution. Boric Acid can
be purchased at any drug store, is very inexpensive and highly effective. The mixed
solution yields an antiseptic wash which is equally effective in flushing out open wounds
as it is in flushing out eyes. Despite it's name, it's a very gentle solution, and
premixed is easy to carry in your hunting bag so that you can flush on site, immediately.
Cod Liver Oil
Strange as it may sound, one drop of Cod Liver Oil in the lower lid
of the eye is a highly effective way to gently lift out whatever is in the eye. The oil
acts as a lubricant and surrounds the grit, sand etc, away from the cornea and out of the
eye area. Cod liver oil is high in Vitamin A which, if there is corneal abrasion, speeds
the healing of the cornea. Using this treatment, we have never had a dog's eyes puffy or
stuck shut the next morning unless there is additional bite injury to the area.
In a pinch, olive oil is a reasonable substitute for cod liver oil, although it
won't have the same amounts of Vitamin A.
Eye Bright & Goldenseal
Should your dog have an infection in the eye, the use of eyebright and goldenseal
will work wonders. Eyebright has been used for centuries for various eye problems.
Goldenseal is a highly
effective natural antibiotic that, unlike chemical antibiotics, works with the immune
system to speed healing. Goldenseal is the one herb that I always have in the house for
use with the dogs as well as our family. Selling for about $5 [Canadian] per ounce, it is
one of the more expensive herbs but an ounce goes a very long way. I purchase it in loose
form, either in powder or herb form as I find this the most versatile. I usually refrain
from purchasing Goldenseal in pill or capsule form because of the cost and quality.
Goldenseal should be a bright yellow colour in powder form, but in the less expensive form
of capsules [$20] they use a lesser quality of the herb, which is almost green.
You take a tablespoon of the eyebright and 1/8 of a teaspoon of the goldenseal and
cover with about 2 ozs of boiling water. Let this stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain the
herbs out of the mixture and allow to cool. With a dropper, put 1 to 3 drops in each eye,
three to four times a day.
This solution must be made fresh daily, but can be used indefinitely, until the eye
problem has cleared up.
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Boric Acid
Boric acid, despite it's name,
mixes up into a very gentle, highly effective antiseptic wash. You can purchase Boric Acid
in any drugstore and it's very inexpensive. Boric Acid comes in powdered form, and you can
mix it up as per the directions on the bottle with distilled water. Put this pre-mixed
solution into a plastic squirt bottle and you can carry it in your hunting bag. This makes
it handy for "in the field" irrigating of the wound. When you get the dog home,
make sure that you once more irrigate the wound to ensure that you have cleaned it out
thoroughly. You might not be able to see anything, but something could be there. So flush
it really thoroughly.
Once the wound has been flushed and you are reasonably certain that you have
removed any foreign matter from it, you have to decide how serious it is. Most bite wounds
should be left unstitched so that any remnants of saliva from the biter can be expelled
from it. Most bite wounds do not require the services of a vet, but if you are new to this
then you just might want the vet to take a look at them.
In order to help healing, I make up a very simple ointment that contains goldenseal
and myrrh. The ointment is quite simple to make and has several benefits. The ingredients
are all "fit for human consumption" which means that if your dog licks off the
ointment, it won't hurt him/her. Goldenseal, a natural antibiotic which works with the
immune system [unlike chemical antibiotics which destroy the body's antibodies] is as
effective internally as it is externally. Myrrh is another substance that actually helps
the body heal and it too is effective both internally as well as externally.
I apply the ointment [which is kept in the refrigerator] as often as I think
necessary. The ointment will help to keep dust and dirt out of the wound while it's
healing. It also helps combat any infection that might want to set in.
If you are interested in the recipe for the ointment, press here or go back to the category section and press the Ointment Recipe button.
Willow Bark
For all pain and swellings and fevers I use Willow
Bark. Willow bark contains salic acid, and was the natural source that led to the
isolation of ASA and our modern aspirin. Unlike aspirin, however, Willow Bark doesn't
upset the stomach, and the dogs actually seem to like it's flavour.
Willow bark has a pleasant woody fragrance and is highly effective at reducing
pain, reducing swelling and reducing fever in animals and people. The dosage is less
problematic as well since you can use a pinch or more depending upon the size of your dog.
Willow bark can be obtained quite inexpensively in either cut herb or powdered form
from most good health food stores.
Ointment Recipe
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Caring for the pregnant bitch isn't as difficult as
one might think. Basically you want your pregnant bitch to be healthy so that when the
whelping came she will be in proper shape for delivery.
This means that you want your bitch's activity level to stay high -- and you don't
want to overfeed her. The only thing that overfeeding will accomplish is that the puppies
she is carrying will be fatter -- which translates into more difficulty in delivering
them. Once the puppies are born, you will want to have food down for the mother all the
time. She gets to eat as much as she likes during the nursing stage of motherhood.
You will however want to feed her differently -- albeit the same amounts. You will
want to increase her protein levels -- but make sure that this protein isn't from soya as
soya protein has been linked with eclampsia in nursing bitches. [Eclampsia is a condition
that is brought about when the puppies are nursing. The mother's calcium levels drop to
such dangerous levels that she will begin to convulse and it can be, at worse, fatal. At
best you will have to feed the puppies by hand.]
You will also want to ensure that the pregnant bitch is getting increased levels of
calcium. The rule of thumb is that the puppies come first so that whatever you feed your
bitch, the puppies will get first and the mothers system will get after. By increasing the
vitamin supplementation for the pregnant bitch, you will ensure that both the puppies and
the mother will get sufficient to retain good health.
Raspberry Leaves
One of the most beneficial supplements that you can add to your bitch's diet is
raspberry leaves. Whether in herb or in powder form, this is one of the most important of
all the herbs for pregnancy. Be very sure, however, that you don't use "raspberry
tea" as this tea doesn't contain the raspberry leaves at all.
As soon as a bitch I am going to breed comes into heat, I begin adding raspberry
leaves to her food at each meal. Raspberry leaves help the strengthen uterine walls, helps
reduce labour pain, ease delivery and generally helps to expel afterbirths. [Retention of
afterbirth can cause serious infections in the mother.]
I have never had a difficult birth while using Raspberry Leaves throughout the heat
cycle and through to labour. Raspberry leaves also contain Vitamin C [which will help
build strong bones in the puppies and keep mom's bones strong], calcium as well as
Vitamins A, B, D, E, G and H, manganese, phosphorus and is rich in iron. Raspberry leaves
enrich colostrum in the bitch's milk and consumption after delivery will help reduce
uterine swelling and reduce post partum bleeding.
This herb is also recommended for pregnant women for all the same reasons, and is a
wonderful herb for children suffering from colds, diarrhea, colic or fevers at any stage.
Raspberry leaves will help in the vomiting of a weak child. It is a wonderful herb to have
around the house at all times.
For people, steep the raspberry leaves in boiled water for 10 to 15 minutes to make
a tea. Drink the tea at least twice a day.
Calcium
Despite raspberry leaves having calcium, I make sure that I add calcium supplements
to my pregnant bitches' food as well. The form of calcium I use is either bone meal [this
is the refined bone meal sold for people in health and drug stores] or crushed egg shells.
It's a simple matter to rinse out the egg shells from your morning eggs and put
them in a coffee grinder to turn them into a fine powder. This is an inexpensive and
highly effective means of adding calcium to your dog's diet.
People who use commercial food sometimes switch their pregnant bitch to puppy food
during her gestation. This is fine, just be sure not to give her larger portions. Again,
you don't want too-fat puppies that are difficult for the mother to deliver -- you just
want a healthy mother who can deliver and enjoy her puppies.
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Hot Spots happen more often than not on a broken or
rough coated dog who, for one reason or another, is exposed to more heat or humidity than
his/her system likes.
Some people maintain that they are the result of an allergy -- generally to fleas.
I don't know how valid this is. I do know that in order to keep a hot spot from getting
too severe, you must take immediate action.
If possible, clip the fur shorter so that heat/humidity isn't trapped under the
outer coat. Then, to help with the itching, add Vitamin C which is a natural antihistamine
to help control the irritation. Add essential fatty acids to the dog's diet. You can go to
your vet and pay a lot of money for Omega 3 EFA's -- or you can go to the drug store and
pick up cod liver oil which is Omega 3 EFA's. Salmon oil is also good. If you want to take
into account the full spectrum of EFA's , both the Omega 3 and the Omega 6, then you
should visit your health food store. They should have something suitable.
If the hot spot is oozing, then apply powdered goldenseal or a mixture of
goldenseal and myrrh. This will help dry the area out and heal at the same time. Don't
worry if your dog licks at this powder. It won't hurt him/her and will even help her heal
if taken internally. I have found, however, that dog's don't like the taste of this all by
itself, so it actually can be a deterrent to licking of the area.
If the area is scabby and dry, apply the goldenseal/myrrh ointment
that you make yourself or that you have purchased in a health food store. You can also use
an antibiotic ointment that you get in the drug store, but be aware that the base for
those ointments is petroleum based and not necessarily good for your dog to ingest.
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