Home Remedies
This blog was inspired by a conversation with a friend who was horrified to find that she had been treating her beloved pet with a “home remedy” found on the internet only to find that she had mistaken the symptoms and caused even more damage.
What’s that line in the marriage ceremony? For richer for poorer, in sickness and in health……
As we accept responsibility for our pets, isn’t it incumbent on us to recognise when our pet is unwell?
Bearing in mind that until we can communicate with our pets, then recognising that there is a health issue is critical, but just as important is not confusing symptoms. As you will see, many ailments can produce either identical indications or require specialist knowledge to come to a correct diagnosis.
EXCESSIVE DRINKING/URINATION
The reasons can be simple or serious. The obvious, simple ones are that the temperatures have risen, and our dog needs to drink more. Plus if there is a change of diet to dry food, then water intake naturally goes up. More serious are Diabetes, Kidney disease, Pyometra and Cushing’s disease, all of which are potentially fatal without medication and in the case of a pyometra, death is almost a certainty.
Please note that restricting access to water is unadvisable as this can cause even more damage, and as certain conditions are potentially fatal, this is counterproductive.
DIGESTIVE ISSUES
These stretch through a wide range of problems
Diarrhoea, Vomiting, Excessive wind (gas), constipation, straining when passing a stool, passing a stool containing blood or mucus and colitis.
Let’s deal with these two first. Basically, they both come under the heading of waste products, more commonly known as “pee and poo.” Just as we humans must never ignore changes in this particular area of our own bodies, the same goes for our pets. If something amiss doesn’t clear up by itself in a few days, a visit to the veterinary surgeon is necessary. When it comes to the bowels and bladder, it’s always better to be safe rather than sorry. As for the rest, excess wind is not only antisocial but can be painful, as is constipation, straining and colitis. Furthermore, blood is supposed to be on the inside. If you see it on the outside, basically, it isn’t supposed to be there!!
SKIN ISSUES
Sadly, this is an issue that causes so much unnecessary discomfort. External parasites, allergies, environmental allergies, demodectic mange, sarcoptic mange, ringworm, bacterial infection, dermatitis, pyoderma, folliculitis, pyotraumatic dermatitis, seborrhea, pemphigus, atopic dermatitis, to name but a few!! Fortunately, a simple skin scrape will identify the vast majority, and early treatment will be successful. It should be noted that some skin issues are not even the result of any of the above and can appear as an indication of hormonal changes!!
LETHARGY
This manifests itself in sleeping more, less enthusiasm for physical activity, personality changes and can have multiple causes. Dehydration, Ingestion of toxins, organ disease, cancer, fever, infection, emotional distress. Unfortunately, like many issues, this particular problem is very often put down to age. Naturally, old age brings its issues, and as we oldies can testify, one definitely slows down with the passing of the years, but this generally comes about slowly. So if Fido suddenly starts sleeping, the clock around it’s a warning sign that all is not well.
BAD BREATH
This can be the result of gum disease or tooth decay (very painful) It can also be an indication of kidney disease and other internal issues.
HEAD SHAKING
Ear mites, wax, fleas, water in the ears, foreign body, hematoma (swelling of the ear flap)
PNEUMONIA
A serious lung infection which can be bacterial, fungal, viral or aspiration. It creates difficulty in breathing, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, coughing, and loss of appetite.
WORMS
Roundworm, tapeworm, hookworm, lungworm, whipworm.
Symptoms can include vomiting, coughing, diarrhoea, fatigue and weight loss.
In Conclusion
With the advent of the internet, it is obviously possible to obtain “home remedies” for certain conditions. However, it is critical that the diagnosis is correct, as many conditions show very similar symptoms. By confusing symptoms, the wrong treatment will be ineffective and can damage your pet’s health as the real condition remains untreated.
I am aware that the financial cost of visiting a veterinary surgeon can sometimes be prohibitive, but not going can result in a simple problem becoming chronic, as we hope that the problem will “sort itself out.” Regrettably, the delay can cause unnecessary pain and distress and very often cause the bill to be higher as what was maybe a simple issue becomes chronic and requires more extensive treatment.
“Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love, they depart to teach us about loss. A new dog doesn’t replace an old dog, it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs your heart is very big.”
Erica Jong