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Herbal Remedies?
I am wondering if anyone uses herbal treatments for their furbabies? Ashley is fourteen and I wonder if ginko biloba would be good for her. If so how much would I give her, she weighs 5lbs.? I would not consider giving anything to her without checking it out thoroughly first, I'm just curious.
Thanks.
by Donna & Ashley
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
First of all I would like to say hi to everyone here at M.O. I haven't been around in a while and I hope that everybody is having a happy, healthy new year.
DISCUSSION:
Donna, I wouldn't give Ashley ginko biloba. You have to be careful with herbal remedies. They are very powerful. The only thing I would give Ahzsie is a liquid vitamin and herb formula, all plant based. I showed to it my vet and she thought it was great. There is also a parasite cleanse that is very gentle to the human body, and is also good for pets. Aside from that, do your research. Don't be too quick to take herbal remedies yoruself before you KNOW all about them, and certainly don't try one out on your baby without knowing dosage and side effects. Herbal remedies are terrific when applied correctly!
Isabel
Hi Guys, The problem with any human medications is that they
are designed for the adult Human. Medications are strong
enough for 100 to 200 pound people,that would be 20-40 times
too strong for your furbaby. Never medicate your babys with
medications for humans,always ask your vet for meds for
your furbabies. The only thing they need is puppy food,
exercise,and lots of love. I see that my little Pearl gets
all three. Bill & Pearl
Bill Breuer
I spoke with my vet today and she said that there are people that use herbal remedies for their dogs, but she would not. She said there have been no studies done. I will be taking her advice.
Donna & Ashley
Hi Donna: If Ashley is in good health you may do more harm than good by introducing something she isn't used to. Even giving synthetic vitamin/mineral supplements can be dangerous (if your malt is eating commercial food, which generally has a balanced vitamin/mineral content) because an oversupply of some minerals can interfere with absorption of others. If you really want to give her herbal remedies for health reasons I agree with the others that you shouldn't try to do this without veterinary advice. I think the best option is to get advice from a vet who is open-minded about alternative medicine; they will know what is safe and effective and the precise dosage to give. You can get up-to-date info on alternative vets by calling the office of the Alternative and Holistic Veterinary Medical Association at 410 569 0795.
Deanna (Moose & Squirrel)
There are homeopathic/herbalist vets practicing in some of the bigger cities, and there are no side effects on the homeopathic remidies. They are being sold in some of the pet order catalogs today. Personally, I used the one for incontenence on a Bassett/Springer mix about 7 yrs ago and she has had no problem with the submissive wetting since. She is now 9 yrs old.
Kay
Donna, I just re-read your post and I hope your vet wasn't trying to tell you that there have been NO studies done on ANY herbal remedies in dogs, because that is simply not true. Take a look at Pubmed or one of the other free medline sites and you will find some.....maybe not for Gingko but certainly for others like Neem, for example. Certainly there haven't been a huge number of studies done, but some definitely! Holistic vets should have copies of all articles relevant to any treatments they prescribe, if such articles are available, and I'm sure they would give you a copy if you asked.
Deanna (Moose & Squirrel)
Foster and Smith offers glucosamide for dogs and a few other things like that. I take it myself as well as biloba. You just have to make sure you get the right dose which can be a problem with such a tiny dog. Be very wary of most herbal combinations because some of them contain dangerous amounts, and not standardized amounts wither, of heart stimulants. Spayed bitches often become incontinent, probably the only reason not to spay, but it can be controlled with vet. prescribed amts. of estrogen replacement. Estrogen type chemicals derived from plants is in some of the herbals, but again not in standardized doses so can be dangerous.
Mary Lou
I think that there is a new prescription for geriatric doggies that are acting senile. It may be somewhat like animal prozac. Not sure, but saw Barbara Walters talking about it on The View. May want to ask your vet about that. As always with a new product, there can be side effects that are not noted until a larger proportion of users are taking it.
Georgiann and Cotton
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Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advice.