Are Herbal Medicines Good For Your Pets?

Pet lovers and those who believe in and support animal rights have the pets’ care as their main concern. Any ailment, serious or minor, is of great concern to them. Some medicine can be harsh or too strong for the frail-bodied pets. Others can be too costly.It will be a relief to know that many animal ailments can be treated with herbal preparations. These are less expensive and easy to prepare and as effective as other medicine and yet safer to use.

Before using herbs to treat your pet’s sickness, you must first know the ailments and their cause and study carefully the herbs, their composition and nature as well as their uses and application. If you are unsure, do not take the risk of guessing or experiment. Ask the help of a holistic veterinarian. The suggestions in this article do not mean to replace the diagnosis and prescription of a licensed veterinarian.

Pets like cats and dogs have different anatomy thus they cannot be likened or compared to humans. Moreover, the right dosage for a small cat may not be the same for a medium-sized rabbit or a big dog. Animals do not digest fresh herbs as easily as humans do, hence you must prepare a tea or tincture from herb to work better for them. An acceptable solution would be an herbal tea that is stronger than what you could take for yourself. Doses must be compatible to the size and weight of your pet. Giving several small doses throughout the day instead of one full amount once a day will hasten the effect of the herb in your pet’s system and boost the immune system. Like in humans, do not give herbs to pets continuously for a long time. The animal’s body will build immunity and will then develop resistance to the herb, thus it becomes medicinally useless. An interval of two weeks on, one week off will give the herb time to show its effect. Prolonged use may also make the animal’s body system develop resistance to the herbs. Take note, anything bad for humans will also be bad for these creatures.

In other countries, herbal medicine is now widely being looked upon and accepted as an alternative to orthodox cure. It is from the herbal extracts and mixtures where modern medicine has been derived, scientists believe. Even veterinarians are now looking into using plants to help in the cure and relief of animal ailments. The vets, like our dieticians, tell that a good diet for your pet will give them a longer and healthier life. You can consult your animal doctor or make your own readings and observations to determine what a really good diet is.