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Holistic
and Conventional
Dog Treatments &
Dog Home Remedies
(Following these links is a
great analogy for natural dog treatments and
dog home
remedies - bear with me!)
Most common dog ailments,
the best treatments and most appropriate dog home remedies
What should
I keep in mind
while seeking treatment?
How can I
tell if a treatment
is working?
How do you
get rid of weeds in your
garden?
You can spray them, cut them off
at the base of the
stem or pull up the entire weed and its roots.
Spraying them may get rid of the weeds, 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.
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), they will
give your dog the best chance for recovery.
What are the Best Dog Treatments and
Dog Home Remedies for Common Ailments?
Constipation
Diarrhea 
Ear Infection
Epilepsy
Eye
problems
Fleas
Lice (coming soon)
Mange
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)
Rabies
Skin conditions and disorders (causes, symptoms & treatment) Also see:
- Skin allergies (coming soon)
- Skin rash (coming soon)
- Itchy skin
Vaccination
schedule and
vaccinations
Vomiting
Warts
Weight loss (how to lose weight and keep it off)
Worms
Yeast infection
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What Should I 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.
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How
Can I Tell If a Treatment is Working?
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.
Over
the Short Term
With many holistic dog treatments, you will see a short period of time
of the condition or symptoms actually becoming 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
- Push 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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Common Holistic Treatment Options
Back to Organic
Pet Digest Home Page from Dog Treatments
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