The Country Almanac of Housekeeping Techniques That Save You Money by Richard Freudenberger

Author:Richard Freudenberger
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3, pdf
Publisher: Rockport Publishers
Published: 2012-02-18T22:00:00+00:00

Visit the Vet Less by Using Natural Healing

Cost savings

These remedies cost from nothing to a few cents per treatment, saving you expensive trips to the vet

Benefits

Natural health treatments with little expense involved

A pet’s illness, or imbalance, is often due to improper diet, poor living conditions, or lack of exercise. Here, contributor Shawn M. Schulz shares the experiences she’s gained in trusting natural healing for her pets.

As a child, I learned from my grandfather about natural cures—plants gathered from the land, ways passed on by his own father. I remember going into the cool, dark milk house and seeing shelves lined with bottles and tins. There was homemade liniment for sprained muscles, pine tar for thrush, camphor for caked udders, flowers of sulfur for sore hocks, and a jar of my mother’s black drawing salve that was used on every animal and about every person, too.

Our farm was sold long ago, but I still use herbal remedies for my family and pets. It’s the way we have always done things, and I have seen the results for too many years to break the tradition now.

SKIN PROBLEMS

The toxins we put on our pets, and the chemicals we feed them, turn up as skin problems. My English mastiff had always been bothered with itchy, flaky skin with hair loss on her rump and tail. Years ago, I placed her on an all-natural vegetarian diet to help her arthritis. In a month her arthritis had improved, and her skin condition had, too.

So look to your pet food first for the source of skin problems. Foods without chemicals, preservatives, or food coloring are available in stores. Also look for pet-food cookbooks, including Joan Harper’s The Healthy Cat and Dog Cook Book, with natural recipes for cats and dogs.

Skin problems can also be caused by allergies to fleas, insecticides, even aluminum feeding pans. Try switching to stainless steel if you’re using aluminum, and change to all-natural flea control if you’re using products with chemicals.

FLEAS AND TICKS

Fleas spend most of their lives off your pet. They hitch a ride only when they need a drink of blood. This means that most of the time they’re in your pet’s bedding and your rugs, draperies, and furniture. Frequent vacuuming, about every two days, will cut down on their population. Just be sure to change and dispose of the vacuum bag, or you’ll nurture a flea nursery. Launder your pet’s bedding frequently, and dry it in the sun or in the dryer to kill the eggs.

Bathe your pet once a month, or every 2 weeks if you have a bad infestation. This cleanses the skin of toxins as well as fleas. I use a natural castile soap and herbal flea rinse. To make the rinse, add 1 cup (225 g) each of dried rosemary, dried rue, dried wormwood, and dried European pennyroyal to 1 quart (946 ml) of vodka or beer. Keep the rinse in a covered jar, and let it steep 4 days, shaking it well each day. At the end of the fourth day, strain and bottle it.

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