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 your shih tzu's health are important and
have their place. One should never negate the others. Always, if in
doubt, consult your regular veterinarian. I do.
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:
- Reliable information on herbs
and their uses is readily available.
- Herbs are generally inexpensive
and easily obtained
- Herbs are easily added to a
dog's diet, and so are easier to administer
- Herbs are generally the basis
for many chemical drugs and often are as effective
Please note that I
will be adding to this section . Please check back -- or if there
are any topics you would like to see listed, please e-mail me at
linda@baloghshih-tzus.com and suggest them.
Eyes
For irritation and routine
cleaning many people use a commercial saline solution but this
generally results in the dog's eyes being puffy and stuck shut the
next morning. I have also noticed that there seems to be more chance
of this treatment resulting in minor corneal abrasions too. I won't
use a saline solution in my dogs' eyes.
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 (about 1tsp. to a pint of
sterile water), 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.
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.
The single most important
thing about open wounds and bites is to ensure that you get the
wound clean. If the wound is clean, it can heal. If the wound is
clean, you run far less risk of it becoming infected.
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. (1tsp to 1/2
pint of hot water, cooled and kept in a covered jar - it lasts for
several weeks). Blot the hair under the eyes dry with a tissue then
comb the hair down towards the nose.
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 .
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 flavor.
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.
If you live near
grass, your dog is exposed to fleas. And while fleas have always
been considered an itchy nuisance there is more danger to your dogs
from fleas than just the irritation.
Some dogs are allergic to flea bites and dogs can get tape worms
from ingesting the fleas that they might ingest when they are using
their mouths to scratch.
If you happen to have an immediate problem, then there are a
few things you need to do.
The first thing to do if your dog has been exposed to a large number
of fleas is to bathe the dog thus drowning the fleas. If you don't
have flea shampoo on hand you then don't worry about it,
hot soapy water does a good job of getting rid of the fleas on the
dog at the moment.
...
Pregnancy
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.
Raspberry leaves help the strengthen uterine walls, helps
reduce labor pain, ease delivery and generally helps to expel
afterbirths. [Retention of afterbirth can cause serious infections
in the mother.]
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 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.
Hot
Spots
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.
Feel free to file for your personal
reference.