Like most vets, I have more than my share of home remedies at the ready for clients looking to apply readily accessible ingredients to their pets’ minor ailments. Most of these DIY solutions include standard kitchen cabinet and fridge fare, with just a dash of the medicine drawer thrown in for good measure. Below are my top six, listed here for your reading pleasure:
1-Epsom salts: When pet wounds and swellings inevitably rear their ugly heads, Epsom salts are almost always helpful for optimal home care. As long as your pet will abide wet ministrations, Epsom salt soaks and hot packs are a great adjunct to antibiotics and surgical attention. Sometimes they can even do the job on their own—just don’t skip the step where you see your vet first!
As we speak, my athletically blistered feet are marinating in two cake pans filled with a handful of Epsom salts dissolved in hot hot water. If soaking for five minutes twice a day isn’t convenient to the area (or tolerated), a clean towel drenched in the same solution can be applied to wounds to almost identical effect.
2-Chamomile tea: Considered the ultimate home care for upset human tummies, I’ve used strong chamomile tea for a number of skin ailments in pets. This common West Indian remedy relies on the natural disinfectant effect of the plant. A soothing solution, chamomile calms minor skin irritations by killing yeast and bacteria complicating the lesions with their presence—without the harshness that may reduce the body’s own “happy” bugs.
My favorite approach? Make a strong chamomile tea, pour it into a spray bottle ($1.49 at Target) and let it chill in the fridge. Then spray it on red and raw skin liberally for an immediately soothing effect.
Ears raw and sore from frequent allergies? Add a tiny dash of distilled white vinegar to the cooled tea for a low-cost ear cleansing solution almost on par with the chlorhexidine rinses you buy for $8 a bottle at the vet’s.
3-The Furminator: OK so I’m a freakish devotee of this magic wand. It’s the only feline hairbrush I’ve ever met (it’s made for dogs, too) capable of eliminating disgusting and uncomfortable hairball hurling in some of my most afflicted feline patients. Considering that surgery to remove monster hairballs is not unheard of (we had one just two weeks ago in hospital), the Furminator is a way more cost-effective approach.
Now, if only someone could come up with a similarly effective device for my own untamed locks I’d be forever in their debt.
4-Borax powder: Got fleas? Yeah, me too. Want a solution that complements your standard Frontline and Advantage (and now Capstar and Comfortis) regimen without all the toxins your standard bug-man lays down? Try Borax powder. The standard 20 Mule Team stuff works wonders on fleas by poking holes in their crunchy insect exoskeletons.
My way? Sprinkle the stuff on your floors then sweep or vacuum up the excess. The invisible crystals left behind will do great work on the fleas your pets bring in while you’re not looking. It’s inexpensive and practically non-toxic compared to what the bug-man brings.
5-Oatmeal cereal: If you’ve got an itchy pet willing to hang out in a bathtub, this is for you. Finely ground oatmeal (as in baby oatmeal cereal) can be stirred into a bath of warm water for a super-soothing soak way cheaper than the Aveeno stuff. Pets with skin allergies, infections and any other itchy disease gain immediate relief with this approach. Many dogs even come to love this tactic for its in-tub lappability (I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t let my Aveeno-soaking pets do the same).
6-Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda: No, it’s not a grade-school volcano recipe. Instead, it makes appalling odors begone! I mix 4 cups of hydrogen peroxide with 1/3 cup baking soda and a splash of Dawn dishwashing detergent to make a spray-bottle solution capable of getting even anal gland aroma off my scrubs (and pets’ backsides, too).
I first learned of this approach after researching popular de-skunking regimens when I worked the ER beat in the skunk-infested Philadelphia environs. This simple mix is not only way more vet hospital friendly than the tomato juice bath, it’s effective on a wide range of anal gland-contaminated surfaces, too. I don’t think I could survive veterinary practice without it. Thank God for simple remedies!
As with all home remedies, asking your vet before embarking on any of these projects will often save you a lot of hard work and bring better results—while addressing the issue of safety (remember, even what looks like a superficial wound may be just the tip of the iceberg).
If you know of other exciting home remedies we’d be stupid to ignore, I invite you to publish them here for future generations to enjoy…
Dolittler
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How about canned pumpkin for diarrhea?
Megan February 19th, 2008 10:04:00 AM
I use canned pumkin more commonly for chronic, low-grade constipation but as a starchy, low-fat foodstuff, it's soothing in cases of diarrhea, too.
Dr. Patty Khuly February 19th, 2008 10:26:00 AM
Great topic Dr. K!
I am also a big fan of the humble epsom salts. When my mare got a hoof abscess a few years back the best equine vet in the area treated her. After seeing his top of the line equine surgery complete with every technological gadget you could imagine I was quite surprised when he told me to follow up his treatment by soaking her hoof in epsom salts. With all the advanced medicines in his arsenal - he hadn't found anything that worked better.
And I know my sister can vouch for the peroxine/baking soda regime. She learned of it when working as a vet tech and is never without gallon jugs of peroxide and a huge box of baking soda from the warehouse store due to the fact that her dogs are slow learners when it comes to skunks. The first summer they moved to their new farm her Golden Retriever turned from red to bleach blonde!
Jennifer H February 19th, 2008 10:48:00 AM
I was astounded by the effectiveness of baking soda + peroxide + a small amount of dish soap for getting skunk stink out. I never expected it to work that well, and boy howdy was I relieved that it did!
katie February 19th, 2008 12:58:00 PM
It's important to add that the hydrogen peroxide/baking soda mixture should be used promptly rather than stored. It breaks down fairly quickly, and will explode if stored in a closed container. Also, folks should know that it can occasionally have a slight bleaching effect on coat color.
Mary February 19th, 2008 12:58:00 PM
What about Pepcid AC for an upset tummy? If my dog throws up when I know it's not from something she's eaten or if she seems otherwise her happy-go-lucky self, I give her 1/4 tablet ( she's 8#, I don't have the dose here at work).
Creature of Habit February 19th, 2008 02:28:00 PM
Creature of Habit: That's going in my "Top five OTC remedies" post. Yes, I like using famotidine (Pepcid AC) but as with other drugs, it must be used judiciously and your doses calculated by a vet professional. Stay tuned for the whole post sometime this week.
Dr. Patty Khuly February 19th, 2008 03:03:00 PM
Your mention of epsom salts, coming just a couple of days after your post on beagles, brought a big smile to my face. I grew up with a beagle, it was the first dog I ever knew. Jake did his beagle thing regularly, running for days in the woods near our house, and coming home limping on his sore paw pads. My mother had taught him to come into the kitchen, where she would fill a white enamel pan of warm water with epsom salts, and have him lay with his feet soaking, one at a time, in the mixture. I'll never forget being a small child, thinking it the most normal thing in the world to have my mom tell Jake to "come in here and soak your feet" (and to watch him do it!).
Rita
Rita205 February 19th, 2008 03:58:00 PM
Honey is a natural laxative! A teaspoon will do the trick.
Tracy February 19th, 2008 07:54:00 PM
I guess we all know chicken broth and rice, eh?
Re: the peroxide mixture also, most animals who get skunked do so around the face and front, but owners need to be very careful not to get any of this stuff in the animal's eyes! Also, the longer is it left on, the better it works. Skunk smells will resurface again when the animal is wet, but it helps a HUGE amount!
(nobody who hasn't tried it believes me when I tell 'em though. :( )
Agnes February 20th, 2008 02:04:00 AM
Good point Dr. K.....the dosage is important, and I guess it's not techinically an item most people have laying around the house (unless they suffer from heartburn...lol....)
Creature of Habit February 20th, 2008 08:29:00 AM
Have you used pineapple juice for hairballs in cats? My Persian had a hairball in her stomach so bad that she could barely breathe -- when we saw the x-ray, my vet really didn't want to put her under because of her age and breathing, so he suggested I try pineapple juice, which is a remedy for rabbits with hairballs -- these's an enzyme in pineapple that dissolves hair.
Supposedly, with the rabbits, you just shoot it down their throats -- I didn't think that would work with my Persian, so we went with what I called "Hawiian Tuna" -- a tablespoon full of pineapple juice frozen concentrate in a few bites of tuna. She loved tuna so much that she ate it with the pineapple juice.
It worked! After a week of "Hawiian Tuna," the hairball was completely gone -- without sugery! I gave her Hawiian tuna every two weeks after that and she never had a problem again.
Dorene February 20th, 2008 05:15:00 PM
Thanks for this fun post Dr. Patty, and for Dorene's Hawiian Tuna. I'll be looking for pineapple juice concentrate on my next grocery store trip.
We use borax mixed with sugar for cockroaches too; I put the mix into plastic caps from food items, then put them in places the pets can't get to. With our humidity, they only last a few weeks before becoming almost solid cakes, but we sure see a reduction of cockroaches when I put out the mix.
Also, I use Dawn dishwashing detergent (the old regular kind) as flea shampoo. I had a cream colored dog that I could see the fleas on him while bathing him, and the store-bought flea shampoo with the poison didn't affect the fleas on his wet, soapy body much at all. Many would still be clinging on after letting the poison suds soak a while, then using the highest setting on the shower nozzle.
Then I tried the Dawn after my hubby received a 'tips' list from a friend. I watched almost all the fleas go down the drain on the first sudsing! That Dawn was so effective, the fleas were running to the unsoaped areas big time! I had started on his back, then to the rest of his body, so they ended up inside his ears so thickly that the inside of his ears looked like dark colored fish scale. I almost got sick looking at it, ewwww.
So from that point forward, I started his face first (carefully using my soaped up fingers around his eyes, nose and mouth areas), then his ears down to his neck. Next I started at his tail, then privates, before finishing his legs, tummy, and back.
Between Dawn and borax, I found I was able to go a lot longer before noticing an infestation. We used Dawn on our cats a few times too, with a different bathing technique of course.
Sherri February 20th, 2008 08:40:00 PM
I swear by a tablespoon of active culture yogurt on top of the food for preventing yeast problems in the ears. My dogs think they are getting an amazing treat too.
Juli February 21st, 2008 12:06:00 AM
How about my remedy for getting diarrhea out of carpet fibres? Other than tearing up your carpet...
After you scoop up the magority of the poop, sprinkle with baking soda, then follow up with a liberal dose of white vinegar. You get a science class volcano in your living room, which 'boils' out the poopy mess. After the volcano has stopped fizzing, mop up the liquid and repeat untill the fizz no longer turns poo coloured. I usually follow that up with a soaking of Natures Miracle to get the smell out so the animal doesnt use it as a bathroom again.
carmen February 21st, 2008 05:20:00 AM
For fleas:
Boil half a lemon in a cup or 2 of water. Pour that into a spray bottle and let it chill over night. Rub it on your dog the next day before taking them out and the fleas stay off. It doesn't last long, but it will keep them off for about an hour or 2.
ashleigh February 21st, 2008 01:33:00 PM
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fbfb March 13th, 2009 06:46:54 AM
I have used and swear by these things:
Rescue Remedy by Bach Flower company. I learned abotu it when a firned used it on my son after he got upset at her house, but as a rehabber I learned that rehabbers use it with even the tiniest weakest animals to calm them. I used it ( rubbed it in the ear of) a squirrel who had seizuers and it allowed her to learn to calm herself and stop them.
Arnica: I'm new to this one but it is a standard in homeopathic circles for injuries If used right away it is said to work miracles.
Sugardine - that is sugar and betadine. Put sugar in a dish and add just enough betadine to make a peanut butter like consistency. This has been proven in studies to cure laminitis in horses better than anything else. I used it recently on terrible case of bumble foot in a chicken in my care. I chose this method after studying dozens of websites that recommended dozens of alternate concotctions. The horse studies with photos convinced me to try sugardine, but I admit I was very nervous trusting so potentially lethal a wound to sugar. The bumble had eaten away her foot and I was also worried about staph spreading. I was absolutely astounded when 4 days later the wound had almost completely healed.I still cant believe it worked so fast and I'm wondering why we're not using it on all large open wounds?
Raw Honey: Like sugar, honey has powerful antibiotic abilities. Who knew? My son ran into a rock hung from a rope (it's a Boy Scout thing I will never understand) and earned several stitches just under his eye. The doctor said put bacitracin on it, but he was working at a BSA camp ( different camp) the following week, and the nurse there said Balderdash - I'm smearing honey on him.. She said it is a better anitbiotic and speeds healing and reduces scaring. She had skin cancer and her doctor recommended it so she showed us. I could see it had really worked - barely a scar - so I said go for it. She did and my son's 1.5" scar is barely noticable. This nurse was also a big believer in dark chocolate - gotta trust a nurse like that :-)
Epsom is amazing for diahhrea, and also great for foot soaks.
All of the above have worked better for me than much more expensive and less natural products.
Laurel May 6th, 2009 07:51:07 PM
Another great one - pepto mismal for diaper rash or any sort of irritation from feces, etc. It is an acid neutralizer, and boy does it work. My daughter had allergy based diaper rashes that were a constant problem until a nurse told me about this. Why aren't they marketing it for babies? None of the smearing which irritates further - just sponge it on and it sooths as it is applied and within minutes the redness and soreness is gone. I'm fostering a lame chicken and keeping feces off ehr feet is a constant battle - I change her papers constantly and also sponge the pink stuff on her feet and bottom whenever needed and no more worries. Also helped her sore tummy when a duck relieved her of all her down after she sat on the duck's eggs.
Laurel May 6th, 2009 07:55:27 PM
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