We’ll dive right in to the most common dog health problems, symptoms and the best natural dog remedies for both veterinarian and at-home care in the first of four sections of this page.

Before clicking on your topic of interest, review all sections to understand…

The Most Common Dog Health Problems Symptoms and Their Natural Treatments

Following are links in alphabetical order to details about the most common dog health problems and natural and/or at-home treatments (the page title for each link is in quotes)…

You can review questions from other visitors by heading over to the My Online Vet Ask-a-Veterinarian Libarary for hundreds of questions and holistic veterinarian responses.

For more conditions, click here to go to our My Online Vet library of questions asked by other visitors. All questions are categorized by condition, symptoms and/or body part and include full descriptions, photos and our veterinarians’ diagnosis and treatment advice.

Why You Should Use Natural and Holistic Treatments Alongside Conventional Remedies

How do you get rid of weeds in your garden?

You can…

  • Spray them
  • Cut them off at the base of the stem
  • Pull up the entire weed and its roots

Spraying the weeds may get rid of them, but you could experience undesirable consequences like killing your lawn or leaving harmful residue for animals or children to ingest. Similarly, conventional drugs may fix the symptoms of disease or even halt the disease itself for a time, but they can have negative implications on other parts of your dog’s body along with uncomfortable side effects. And in the long run, the disease – like the weeds – is likely to return.

dog treatments

Cutting the weed off at the stem avoids the problems caused by manmade chemicals and gives the appearance of a healthy garden.  But just like spraying, the weeds will return.  This can be likened to surgery, which is very necessary in some occasions but does not attack the foundation of the problem.

Uprooting a weed will ensure that the particular weed will never return just as addressing the root of a disease will keep your dog healthy.  Holistic dog treatments go after the roots.  If used in tandem with appropriate conventional treatments (as practiced by most holistic veterinarians), holistic treatments will give your dog the best chance for recovery.

What Should You Keep in Mind While Seeking Dog Treatments

Working with a sick or injured dog is an emotional time for you both. Remember that just as it took a while for the disease to get a foot hold in your dog, it will probably take some time for complete health to be restored.

Recovery time and levels from any condition will depend on your dog’s breed, age, overall health, diet, exercise level, former treatments and how long the disease has been present, so ask your vet for realistic outcomes depending on your dog’s circumstances.

You should also explore and understand general holistic treatment options before contacting your veterinarian to get a better idea of what interests you.

How Can I Tell If a Treatment is Working?

Common dog health problems can emerge quickly or progress over time. Sudden, acute illnesses should improve as quickly as a few minutes to a few days, while it may take several months before a chronic illness begins to fade away. And if a disease has progressed far enough, it could be dramatically improved but may never completely go away.

When in doubt, it never hurts to call your veterinarian (or to ask Dr. Tillman whether a trip to the vet is necessary).

Over the Short Term

With many holistic dog treatments, you will see a short period of time when the condition or symptoms actually become WORSE.  This is usually a good thing!  It means your dog’s body is reacting to the treatment.

A good way to be sure that this is the case?  If only one of your dog’s symptoms (i.e. diarrhea) gets worse while everything else seems to be improving, your dog is probably on the right path.  The worsening symptom should start to improve within one day.

Over the Long Term

According to Hering’s Law of Cure, a dog’s body will naturally lessen the impact of a disease by:

  • Keeping it localized
  • Keeping it at skin-level rather than allowing it to enter the vital organs
  • Pushing it away from the head and vital organs and towards the feet and lower part of the body
  • Not allowing it to effect the dog’s emotional state (and therefore their instincts and ability to survive)

So if you see symptoms progressing in any of these directions it is typically a good sign.  For example, if your dog has an organ disease and begins to develop a skin rash after treatment, it is a solid indication that they are on the path to recovery.

Other good signs of recovery include…

  • Improvement in energy level and mood
  • Normal appetite
  • Normal bowel movements and urination
  • Normal sleep
  • Self-grooming

Finally, do not be alarmed by bodily discharges!  It is usually the result of the body ridding itself of toxins.  Common healing discharges resulting from effective dog treatments include…

  • Dark or strong-smelling urine or feces
  • Ear wax
  • Eye discharge
  • Mucus-covered stool
  • Puss pockets
  • Shedding of the nails or skin from the bottom of the paws
  • Skin eruptions (very common)
  • Strong body odor (don’t worry, it’s temporary!)
  • Vomiting (especially for acute conditions)

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