Home Remedies
Over-the-counter Drugs for Home RemedyVeterinary UseAnemia: Feeding your pet foods high in iron and B vitamins will help this problem. A serving of liver once a day is sufficient: 1 oz. for small dogs, 3 oz. for medium dogs, 4 oz. for large dogs.
Animals in Heat: Your pet’s affectionate (and sometimes annoying) actions are demands for attention, so give them more than usual. The strong smell Vicks® VapoRub ointment may help keep roaming males away: rub a little in the fur of the tail on females and above the nose on males.
Keep the windows closed; a male cat can smell a female in heat a mile away, while a dog’s range is about three miles. Get your pet spayed/neutered.Arthritis: For overweight pets, losing weight will help lighten the load on those achy joints. A 20 minute walk several times a day can reduce the progression of arthritis. If it’s cold outside, let them sleep inside.
Make sure they are provided with soft bedding to reduce discomfort. Moist heat applied for 20 minutes twice a day can be a great comfort.Asthma: Keep pets with asthma free of excess weight; overweight animals have a harder time breathing. Use a humidifier; dry air irritates the airway. If you, the owner, smokes, stop! Keep them indoors during pollen season. For cats, use a dust-free kitty litter.
Bad Breath: A foul odor coming from your pet’s mouth is a sign of plaque. Prevent this by brushing your pets teeth, feeding them a raw turkey neck or raw carrots; don’t feed them canned food or table scraps, and get them a rope to play with.
Your vet can also thoroughly clean your pet’s teeth. Click here for a recipe for Better Breath Pet Biscuits!Broken Bones: Immobilize your pet while holding him still and place him on a board, car floor mat, or a folded blanket. Do not attempt to bandage or splint broken limbs as you can cause more damage. Take your pet to the vet immediately.Car Safety: Veterinarians recommend that pets should be kept in a securable cat or dog crate while being transported by car.
Car Sickness: Most animals travel best on an empty stomach, so pick up their food 6-8 hours before travel. However, some pets prefer to have a small amount of food in their stomachs. See what works best for your animal. Other ways to reduce sickness includes letting them sit in the front seat, allowing them to look out the windows, and cracking the windows to allow fresh air to flow inside the vehicle.Cat in a Tree: Cats will more than likely come down on their own. Leave them alone to make their way down.
Give them an entire day to do so. Tempt them with their favorite strong-smelling food. If the cat is injured, wearing a leash that could choke them, or hasn’t come down in a day, you need to climb up and get them, whether up the tree itself, or with a ladder. Grab them by the skin on the back of the neck and make your first attempt at reaching them a good one – they may flee further up the tree. The Human Society may be able to assist you if you are not able to reach the cat yourself.
Choking: Open your pet’s mouth to see if you can visualize the object and remove it. If you are unsuccessful, take your pet to the vet immediately. If your pet is not breathing and you can’t find what’s obstructing the air passage, try the Heimlich maneuver: Hold your pet against you and clasp your hand around his upper abdomen OR place your pet on their side, on the floor and put one of your hands on top of the other so that the bottom hand is just below the rib cage. Push or lift upward to dislodge the object.
Diarrhea: Ensure your pet is drinking enough fluids. In addition to their water bowl, a bowl of Gatorade® will further help. Stop feeding for 24 hours from the onset of the diarrhea. When your pet is ready to eat again, try 2 parts cooked white rice mixed with 1 part boiled hamburger or skinless white meat chicken, feeding small amounts every 4 hours for 2 days.
Slowly introduce their regular food back into the diet. If the diarrhea doesn’t subside, seek the advice of your veterinarian. It may be caused by intestinal parasites or something more serious.
Ear Mites: You can temporarily treat the ear mites by soaking a cotton ball with mineral oil and swabbing the ear canal. Then, seek the assistance of your veterinarian for treatment with Ivermectin.Fever: Normal temperatures of cats and dogs ranges from 100.5 and 102.5 degrees. Sooth away the heat with a cool compress on their belly or a 10 minute cool bath.
Ensure they are drinking enough water. Consult your vet, as fever can mean serious illness and/or infection.Flatulence: Exercise helps move gas out of the system, so take them for a walk. Stop feeding table scraps and dairy foods and ensure they aren’t getting into the trash.
Check the soy content of your pet’s food; high soy content causes gas. Many yogurts contain digestion-friendly bacteria that can help decrease flatulence. Give 1/4 tsp. plain yogurt to cats and small dogs, 1 tsp. to dogs 15-20 pounds, and 1 Tbls. to large dogs. Raise their food dish to eliminate air digested while eating.Fleas:
Though a preventative such as Advantage® , Frontline® , Revolution®, or K9 Advantix® is the best way to treat and prevent fleas, a diet including Brewer’s Yeast and garlic prove to keep them away, as well. Flea collars, powders, and dips only work temporarily; don’t consider them for long-term use or you’ll find the fleas returning.Getting Out Mats:
Wet fur is more difficult to unmat, so keep them dry. Starting at the ends of the hairs and working inward, divide the mat in half with your fingers. Then divide the halves into quarters, the quarters into eighths and so on until all the clumps are gone. A light sprinkling of cornstarch makes stubborn mats easier to pull apart.
For a particularly tough mat, clip the mat in half with scissors.
Hairballs: First try a commercial hairball lubricant or a tsp. of petroleum jelly. Sometimes, high-fiber diets accelerate the passage of hairballs. Keep fleas under control to reduce licking. Brush your cat often, then follow with wiping the coat with a moist towel to pick up any loose hairs.