Pet corner

Herbal first aid for pets

November/December 2001
By Randy Kidd, D.V.M. 
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Keep an herbal first-aid kit handy to help your pet sail through minor medical problems.
Photo courtesy of M. Anderson
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Herbs were actually the very first helpers, chosen by the animals to aid healing. Much of what we know about these medicines, we originally learned by watching the animals cure themselves using a number of plants in a variety of ways.

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And now, some of us have come full circle: Veterinary school taught me all about the extremely potent manmade medicinals available. However, over the course of the many years I’ve practiced holistic medicine, I’ve learned that the very best first aid is almost always an herbal (or herb-related) remedy.

Herbal first aid is a home-based activity. Because the herbs you’ll be using are extremely safe and effective, you can be your pet’s “first-aid nurse” with confidence. And many of the most effective first-aid herbs can be found in your own backyard (or they can easily be grown in your garden).

When to take your pet to the vet

How can you tell a true emergency (requiring immediate veterinary attention) from a problem you can treat at home? Well, there’s no hard-and-fast rule here. A day of mild diarrhea, or a day or two of refusing food, or a bout or two of vomiting are normal for some animals. Prolonged or severe diarrhea or vomiting, or longer than a few days of refusing food, warrant a visit to the vet. An animal running a fever of more than 103°F should also be seen.

For cuts or wounds, I like to use the rule of thumb that if you would see your physician for a similar-appearing wound, then the animal should probably be seen by a vet. I also like to see any animal that has been subjected to blunt trauma—a critter hit by a car, for example. Blunt trauma can cause internal damage that is not evident until it is too late.

But finally, I tell folks the same thing that we told concerned pet owners when they called the emergency clinic where I was chief of staff. When they asked, “is this something you should see tonight?” our answer was always, “if you think it should be seen, then bring your pet in right away. That’s what we’re here for.”

First-aid kit for pets

The following are simple yet key components of an effective first-aid kit for pets. If your pet has any known health problems, add to or vary some of the contents accordingly.

• Herbal salve, spritz, or oil-based product for topical use. The ideal first-aid salve, oil, or spritz should be a multifunctional herbal concoction that will provide antimicrobial activity, be soothing when applied, enhance healing, and help prevent the pain and itchiness that often accompanies cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

A salve or oil-based herbal product will stay on the affected area longer, but these can be messy and animals tend to lick at them incessantly. I prefer nonalcoholic spray-on products, spritzed directly on the affected area. These products dry quickly, which prevents most of the mess and the continued licking. Their disadvantages include the need to be applied more frequently (several times a day), and their shelf life tends to be short.

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