Is surprising to see how many well trained 'experts' are dismissive about complementary and alternative veterinary medicine. Luckily I have several veterinarian friends who are open minded and encourage home remedies and alternative ways of treating an animal.
Possibly this is partly due to lack of education around holistic remedies. When I first started being a 'medicine woman' 35 years ago I received virtually no training or instruction around complementary veterinary medicine and everything that I know, has been self taught and through instinct and trial, and used when everything else has failed.
Luckily these days, many veterinarians are open to alternative medicine and home remedies, but lack of time, and fear of governing bodies not condoning these 'unproven' methods prevents many vets from really utilizing these treatments for their clients. Many of the vets I know are happy to try new things to help a dog get better especially if it works in tandem with conventional medicine.
Let's use the example of something in your kitchen cabinet being used as an alternative to cure an ailment... its not a 'hippy dippy' treatment but one that has proven to work.
Honey. Many people swear by Manuka honey because of its purity but not all of us can or will fork out nearly £10 for a jar of honey to use on the dog, no matter how much we love them. Ordinary honey is just as effective although its best to look for one that isnt a mixture of honeys.
Honey contains many components, and it is very rich in nutrients. Honey is composed of sugars like glucose and fructose and minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron and phosphate. It contains vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 all of which change according to the qualities, along with copper, iodine, and zinc exist in it in small quantities.
Due to its natural anti-inflammatory effect, it will help to heal the wounds more quickly. It also has different phytochemicals--chemicals found in plants and different foods--that kill viruses, bacteria, and fungus making it a good substitute for wound dressings.
Honey is a natural antiseptic. Raw honey, for example, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis. Propolis, sometimes called "bee glue," is actually a complex mixture of resins and other substances that honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro-organisms.
In veterinary medicine, honey is used for a multitude of ailments, but for your own pets, good old household honey is the top remedy for wounds, wound healing, upset tummy, eczema, itchy skin, eye infections, coughs, and allergies such as hayfever caused by grass pollen or house dust.
Honey to heal wounds
Any wound that has been cleaned can have honey applied to it- typically this would be for speeding up closure of an open wound. It goes without saying that putting a bandage over the wound will stop the honey being licked off!
Honey for Cough
I mix one teaspoon of honey with 1 teaspoon of water and give it to a coughing dog via a needle-less syringe or a dropper. It helps to soothe the dog's cough and give it some relief. I can assure you that it works as I give it to my elderly dog who gets a cough when the weather changes.
Honey for allergies and hayfever.
Honey contains very tiny amounts of pollen. These tiny amounts of pollen are not enough to trigger the allergic reaction in your pet when they ingest the local honey. Each time you dose your pet on the honey, he or she begins to build up a tolerance to the pollen. Eventually, your allergic pet is able to tolerate the amount of pollen usually present in the environment.
You can give your dog or cat 1 teaspoon per 10lbs daily. Do this for 7 days to test the effectiveness. Your dog won't spit it out like it would a pill and will happily lick the honey off a spoon or syringe.
So that's your useful tip for the week.......... in the meantime, enjoy this video. We have all been through this scenario many times?!
Until the next blog, have a nice week.
Dawn (")
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