How to create homemade herbal remedies for your dog?

Maybe the thought of taking my pets to the Vet is a thing that only scares me, but whenever my dog is ill I am always looking for alternatives methods I can safely use at home.

Not only is he scared of the place, the poor thing, but every time I visit I walk away with a huge bill.

Now if you’re anything like me and dread the bill AND the experience, then you might like the following remedies I have found. All can easily be made at home; are safe to use on your dog and won’t cost you a fortune as you can make them in patches.

1. Treating fleas

I know you can buy relatively cheap sprays – even from your supermarket – but if your dog has got sensitive skin like mine then you’re probably not keen on using them. Here is a couple I use often that he happily allows me to apply:

• Take 1 cup of olive oil and add 5 drops each of tea tree, pennyroyal, lemon verbena, lavender, eucalyptus and cedarwood essential oil. Once mixed spray it along your dogs top line and work it into their coat. Note: avoid their eyes.
• Make a dusting powder consisting of dried wormwood leaves, dried Shasta daisies, dried lavender blossoms, dried lemon balm or lemon thyme and ½ cup of tapioca starch, before adding 5 drops of tea tree, cedarwood and eucalyptus essential oils. Blend by mixing these in a food processor, then sprinkle onto your dog’s bedding and their fur coat.

2. Wounds

From getting thorns caught in their paws to injuring themselves on wires/fencing whilst out walking, your pet can suffer from wounds more often than you think. Obviously if it is a serious wound, you need to take your dog to the Vets. However for minor wounds you can make your own herbal ointments and salves.

• For a first aid salve, you will need 1 tbsp each of pine pitch oil, calendula infused oil, comfrey infused oil,St John’sWort infused oil and balm of Gilead infused oil. Once blended you will need to add ¼ cup of bees wax and ¼ cup of virgin coconut oil. This will reduce inflammation, draw out potential infections and encourage your dog’s skin to heal.
• For tender paws I like to bathe my dogs put in warm water containing 1tbsp of sea salt and 1tbsp of Epsom salt. Once dried I apply a salve containing bees was, coconut oil, infused oils of balm of Gilead, comfrey leaf, calendula blossoms, St John’s Wort, 2 drops of tea tree oil and 2 drops of lavender essential. Apply this oil twice a day, then wrap their paw in gauze and an elastic bandage.

3. Upset stomach

My dog is always trying to eat things he shouldn’t and when I’m unable to prevent him, he tends to get an upset stomach.

• Make a mash from whey and raw oatmeal, then add Oregon grape root, nettles, chick weed, marsh-mallow and chamomile. Mix, then add a tsp of honey (to improve the flavour).

4. Anxiety

New Year is a bad time for my dog as he hates fireworks. To help take off the anxiety, I first try to disguise the noise and if I can put him somewhere where he can’t hear the loud bangs, then I make him a strong tea containing chamomile blossoms or skull cap which I add to his food.

5. Arthritis

Thankfully he has not developed this yet, but if your dog is showing signs, you can offer the following to help ease their pain and improve their health.

• Take wheat completely out of their diet
• Add the following dried, powdered herbs to their food: kelp meal, nettle, comfrey, willow bark, chickweed, plantain and dandelion leaf.
• Add virgin coconut oil to their evening meal (1tsp-1tbsp)

Hopefully these herbal remedies can offer your pet the same support they have offered mine. However, if the condition of your pet is bad or worsens I strongly recommend taking them to the Vets.

Image courtesy Pictures by Dave.

Ellie Oliver writes about Aromatherapy, Essentials Oils and other Natural Remedies. Being an animal lover and pet owner, Ellie researched the effect of aromatherapy products on her cuddly flat mates.

How to create homemade herbal remedies for your dog? is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

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