Your tried and tested HomeRemedies

These is for interests sake and not in place of veterinary care!!!
What are some of the home remedies you try before rushing to the vet?

I use normal tea to wipe and rinse gummy eyes. It really works a charm and the cooled tea bags are useful for swelling.

For hotspots I use some Apple cider vinegar or I disinfect anx put some mecurochrome (sp) on. Dries it out quickly. Aloe bitter gel also works.

For any rash/ contact allergy I wipe the area with some warm salt water and apply normal aloe gel.

To clean ears I use a drop of dish wash liquid, tablespoon of white vinegar and 4 tablespoons tepid water. Rinse out ear and sop up extra with cotton wool.

I had a staffy with a very severe allergy to grass. To soothe her skin I would put a cup of oats in a sieve, put 3 cups of boiling water in a bowl and keep pouring it through the oats till the water got thickish. I then added half a baby asprin and 3 tablespoons honey to it and stir.
I'd massage this into her skin after bathing with dish wash liq and leave for 15minutes before rinsing.
It helped soothe her irritated skin.

Again I'm just curious what works for you and these are not in place of veterinary care or recommendation.

I use coconut oil for sore spots, especially on Dempsey's pads during and after winter.

Honey for his throat when he gets coughs.

Sometimes gets ginger to relieve nausea.

I also use coconut oil to clean his ears out and to condition his coat!

This could be a very interesting & useful thread!  

There's many little things we do to make life with our canines easier.

The hot and cold compresses Eleanor and I discussed last night got me thinking.
That little procedure helped me get Pugsley healed up in half the time. My vet could hardly believe it.

Yeah, definitely a really useful thread!

I've used cold damp teabags for eyes in the past. Plus, of course, the salt water bathing for simple wounds & scrapes.

Another one I've used for slightly upset stomachs is Arrowroot, made up with water & either honey or brown sugar.

coconut oil and colloidal silver to wash and moisturise cut paw pads

emu oil or arnica gel for strained muscles

emu oil and coconut oil for stud tail

colloidal silver for irritated eyes

I have friends that rave about the usefulness of Colliodal Silver. Haven't tried it myself yet.
Arnica gel and Emu oil is fabulous stuff.

I must admit to knowing virtually nothing about colloidal silver! When I googled it, it appears that there are heated views both for & against!

I just remembered ... I had a very nervous/sensitive dog and at the end of my tether I started giving her Rescue Remedy. It helped.
I stopped and started to test the effectiveness and there was a marked difference in her behaviour.

Salt water for cleaning wounds, oat baths for soothing irritated skin and Echinacea for mild kennel cough.

Helps if i could spell   

Turmeric in oil and black pepper - for joint health

What's Rescue Remedy? Not sure I've heard of that before! It rings a faint bell.

Oats are great for skin, definitely! We used to have an oatmeal shampoo for Demps when he was younger, as he had extremely sensitive puppy skin.

I think we have some turmeric somewhere, but keep forgetting to use it.

oatmeal shampoo bars are great even if they don't have problems with their skin!

Now who is it who happens to sell those lovely little oatmeal soap bars..? Hmm... Can't quite remember the name! Some random woman!

Eleanor wrote:What's Rescue Remedy? :)Not sure I've heard of that before! It rings a faint bell.

Here you go: Bach Flower Remedies this may give better info on each flower: Bach Flower

haha! i've still got a tiny bit of the bar i bought of ebay but will have a go at making my own once it's gone

Shisa wrote:

Eleanor wrote:What's Rescue Remedy? :)Not sure I've heard of that before! It rings a faint bell.

Here you go: Bach Flower Remedies this may give better info on each flower: Bach Flower

Thanks! Reading through the page and it looks really good!

ella wrote:haha! i've still got a tiny bit of the bar i bought of ebay but will have a go at making my own once it's gone

I'll be your first customer!

I think these would fit Dempsey!

Beech

The Beech remedy is for intolerance; physical as well as mental and emotional. So, the dog that suffers allergies to foods or environmental allergens such as pollens; or is intolerant of weather conditions such as heat or cold, as well as the dog that is intolerant of change will benefit from Beech Flower Essence. Always wants everything kept just the same; doesn’t like changes of food, toys, or routine. Won’t accept another animal (or human) joining the household. Oversensitive to sounds and touch; irritable behaviour, always complaining. Snappy and irritable. Dogs that are stiff and can’t relax and that develop arthritis or other joint disorders. The dog that is fussy about food, eating something one day but refusing it the next, having its person cooking up gourmet meals which it then refuses.

The virtue of Beech is sympathy and tolerance.

Holly

Holly is for the dog that is bad tempered, snappy, aggressive. The dog that has specific “hates” such as another dog, cats, postmen. Dogs that growl and bite, that fight, can’t get on with each other, chase or attack other animals. Holly is good for bitches that attack their puppies. For dogs that are jealous - of a new baby, a new puppy, another dog, or the attention someone else is getting. The positive side of Holly is tolerance, so it is useful for any sudden, acute intense illness, acute allergic reactions, sudden high fevers, severe pains and infections with sudden onset.

The virtue of Holly is tolerance.

Rock Water

Rock Water is for any kind of inflexibility, whether physical or mental. So for stiff joints, lack of flexibility in spine or limbs (it can be massaged into the skin over stiff, painful areas as well as giving orally), or for the dog that hates change of any kind such as a change in routine/feeding times/exercise periods/members of the household, Rock Water is perfect.

Rock Water is also advised for training problems, or compulsive behaviour such as territorial aggression. For dominant behaviour (for example the dog that is always standing over another, won’t let another dog lie on its bed or play with a toy without taking it over). For lack of adaptability. For self-denial such as bitches giving all their attention to their puppies and not taking any care of their own needs. For stubbornness (this is hounds!). Rock Water is good for arthritis.

The virtue of Rock Water is flexibility.

Particularly this, in regard to the dominance with other dogs:

Vine

Vine is for the over dominant dog, the bully, the aggressively dominant dog. For any dog that aggressively guards its territory, toys, food, won’t allow its person to get it off a chair or to take something away from it. Dogs that won’t accept other animals and are aggressive towards them.

Vine is for dominance aggression, not fear aggression (that’s Mimulus), and the two need to be differentiated. Many dogs that are called dominant are, in fact, fearful.

Dominant aggressive dogs are more likely to be confronting in their behaviour, while fearful dogs will only be aggressive when they feel cornered. It should be borne in mind that many cases of aggression in dogs are due to thyroid dysfunction. The virtue of Vine is leadership (dominance is the failing - the opposite end of the scale), so it is
worth giving Vine to the show dog to give it the ability to stand out and demand attention.

Copied all of those out, then realised that Rescue Remedy combines a group of the plants. It sounds like it's something which could be very useful!

Aaaaand I've just realised that I've used it myself before! That's why it sounds familiar! I called it Emergency Essence!

I think we still have some in the cupboard, I'm not sure!

I cleaned the cupboard out a few months ago. Most of the stuff had expired years ago, so it probably got thrown away!

Yes, I remember now.

I ought to get some - it can be useful!

Shisa wrote:I have friends that rave about the usefulness of Colliodal Silver. Haven't tried it myself yet.
Arnica gel and Emu oil is fabulous stuff.

My OH uses colliodal silver himself & thinks its great! I tried it &... I wont share the results but I will never touch it again!

Emu oil is brilliant. We have dry food for jess laced in it &it has made a huge improvement to her arthritis. Also works for my OH's mum as an oil rubbed into arthritic joints.

Added: Dry food, not powdered emu oil.

Jess has bad skin allergies every summer. Her groin skin is now blackish from so many yrs of probs. I now use salt water to clean & then tea trea oil & water . 10% tea tree, 90%water. Wish I'd found it when she was young. Clears within a few days now.

Note: dont use this remedy if theres any broken skin. It wouldnt do any harm to the dog but obviously. ... It would sting like all get out!

Really enjoying reading through all of these remedies! Some interesting stuff!