HEALTH CARE TIPS & NATURAL REMEDIES

Here is a list of tips that either I use or was recommended by another dog owner or vet. Not all of them have been tested or used by me personally. And all methods may work for one dog but not for another. Use these tips at your own discretion. Please email me with your own tips or remedies to add here and share with others!

Tear Stains	Appetite Stimulant	Ticks
Flea Control	Apple Cider Vinegar	Shampoo's
Ingested Objects	Admin. Medicine	Food Bowls
Diarrhea	Putting Weight On	Rawhide Bones
Controlling Bleeding	Allergies	Pet Odors
Bee Stings	Injured Paws	Cleaning Ears
Stop Stool Eating	Flatulence (Gas)	Arthritis
Hot Spots	Overheating	Feeding Leftovers
Penis Discharge	Herbs & Their Uses

Tear Stains

Clean and dry area. Area can be cleaned with water, mild soap, hydrogen peroxide, mineral oil etc. Making sure not to get into dogs eyes. Then apply one of the following: Desitin, Boric Acid Ointment or Bag Balm as needed.

And/or-- Add 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar per quart of water to dogs water bowl. It is supposed to adjust the PH of the dogs body and prevent staining from tears or saliva. This is also said to discourage fleas.

And/or-- Add Tylan (an amount about equivalent to a match head) to dogs food a few times a week. This will keep the area dry and stain free.

Flea Control

Homemade Flea Spray:

1 cup Avon Skin-So-Soft
1 teaspoon of oil of citronella or eucalyptus
2 cups of white vinegar
2 cups of water

Mix well and apply from a spray bottle (covering eyes). This also helps rid flies. To discourage ticks decrease water by one cup.

Organic Flea Spray:

Use a citrus dip as an effective organic flea repellent. Citrus peels contain natural chemicals, d-limonen and linalool, which both kill and repel fleas. Add the grated/chopped peel of one lemon to a pint of boiled water and steep the mixture for 24 hours. Sponge the strained liquid onto the pet's coat and let it dry.

Mix Tea Tree Oil, one half teaspoon per pint of distilled water to make a rinse after bathing to repels fleas.

Outside Flea Spray:

Two ounces of household bleach and two ounces of water in a 8 ounce yard sprayer attached to a garden hose. Set to 1 1/2 ounce per gallon. This will cover approximately 1000 square feet. This is also said to rid ants and spiders as well as help prevent Parvo and bladder infections in females. This can be done up to every 10 days if needed.

An effective and completely non-toxic method of flea population control in the yard is nematodes. It's a naturally occurring bacteria that kills bug eggs and larvae. It comes in a powdered form; just mix with water and spread over lawn with an inexpensive pump-type sprayer. It can be found at your local home and garden store and some pet stores.

Inside Flea Control

Keep your vacuum from being a home for fleas by putting a flea collar, flea powder or moth balls in the vacuum cleaner bag.

Boric acid powder is highly effective against flea infestation. It is safe, inexpensive and the effects can last for up to two years. There are a couple of name brands available locally called Terminator,De-Limenator or Flea Buster's. Each of these products you need to sprinkle onto your carpet, rugs, floors, furniture, under furniture cushions, under beds etc....Wear a mask when working with these powders wear a mask just so you don't breath the powder. You can make your own mixture:

**Combine 3 cups diatomaceous earth (found at your nursery) with 1/2 cup boric acid (available at any pharmacy.) Sprinkle throughout house and after one or two days vacuum. It can take up to three or four weeks for all the fleas to be killed, but you should see a difference right away. This will last up to two years, or until you clean your carpets next.

**Combine Borax cleaning powder with table salt. ( 8 to 1) Sprinkle throughout house, sweep in lightly, leave
on for a week, then vacuum.

**Sprinkle table salt throughout house, and rub it into everything. Let stand overnight, then vacuum.

All three of these powders act as a desiccant, dehydrating the fleas and their larva.

Dog Ingests Sharp Object

Feed dog cotton balls dipped in cream. Let nature take its course.

OR

Cook one pound of spinach, load with butter. Feed it to the dog. Then feed a lot of white bread. Spinach will wrap around sharp pieces (dogs don't digest fiber well) bread will hold it together thru digestive tract with least amount of damage.

Rawhide Bones

Do not use rawhide bones, they contain arsenic from the leather tanning process.

Rawhide bones also become slimy when chewed on. This makes them easily slipped down into the throat of dog, blocking airway, and choking to death.

Food Bowls

Only use non-lead glass bowls. Avoid plastic, metal, aluminum and ceramic bowls.
***Use filtered, bottled or distilled water. Avoid any food that contains by-products or chemical additives.

Feeding Leftovers

Feed dogs vegetables, plain yogurt, cottage cheese, and some starch. These are good and safe for them. A little bit of protein won't hurt them either.

Do not to give them any splintery chicken or pork bones, which can puncture intestines.

Too much fat, including butter, lamb fat, or any other form of fat, can cause diarrhea. It can also cause pancreatitis. It is a deadly disease and can cause the pancreas to release digestive juices into the body cavity. Damaging organs, and causing diarrhea, pain, vomiting and shock.

With older dogs be careful feeding them too much meat. It can be very hard on the older dogs kidneys.

CHOCOLATE IS POISONOUS TO DOGS!!!

Many dogs are allergic to raw onions! So I avoid feeding them onions as well.

Control Bleeding

If your dog is bleeding excessively &/or organs, ligaments or bone is exposed, wrap the area and get the Vet ASAP. To wrap the area, your first choice should be Saran Wrap. It will not stick to the wound and will slow down the bleeding and hold everything in place. Bandages and clothing can also be used, and is a good second choice, but both of these WILL stick to the wound.

Pet Odors

For carpets...Baking soda will absorb smoking, cooking, pet and other odors that settle into the carpeting.

Bee Stings

If your dog has been stung by a bee and you can find the location...Make a paste from vinegar and baking soda and apply to the spot.

Hot Spots

Keep area clean and dry. Sometimes clipping the hair in the infected area will help. Then apply any of the following:

Sprinkle on Gold Bond Powder --OR

A mixed solution of water and Listerine in a spray bottle. Spray on infected area. This will help disinfect and help to dry the area.

Mix Tea Tree Oil, one half teaspoon per pint of distilled water for hotspots.

Coat the 'hot spots' with vinegar, full strength, using a cotton ball.

Overheating

Bulldogs are very sensitive to heat and can easily overheat in the sun, heat or exercise. Great caution needs to be taken during the hot days or during exercise. If you leave the house you should always take allot of bottled water and carry ice chips or ice cubes with you at all times.

My Bulldogs know how and LOVE to drink from a water sports bottle with a pull top. This makes carrying water with me an easy task. No water and bowl needed, just the sports bottle filled! Great for our short walks too, whether it is hot or not.

Lemon Juice may also save your Bulldog if becoming overheated. The lemon juice should be poured won their throat and will help clear the phlegm from their airway.

Seven-Up Soda Pop can also be used in this same way if lemon juice isn't available at that moment.

Arthritis

There is no cure for Arthritis, but the following items can naturally help make the dog more comfortable. The following is a list people have used that helped. These were used individually and not combined with other treatments. They are most effectively used if suggested to your Vet and together come up with the best solutions for you individual dog.

A chiropractor
Acupuncture
Vitamin E (400 IU per day)
Ester C (twice a day at whatever dose that almost causes diarrhea)
Trace minerals can help, if they're the super type from seaweed or old sea bed or diatomaceous earth.
Mobility 2 (Chinese Herbal formula)
Use organic apple cider vinegar, mixed equally with raw (unheated) honey. One half tablespoon twice a day. This appears to help with pain, keep the system acidic, help with endurance and help with the uptake of calcium without adding any.
One fresh chopped clove of garlic a day. This seems to stimulate the immune system, and it also repels fleas.
Alfalfa powder added at one half tablespoon to the meal twice a day

The following are anit inflammatory herbs that can help reduce the swelling of the joints:
Flax seed oil, used at one half tablespoon twice a day Primrose oil Bromelain, an enzyme made from pineapplesSeaweed mixes Yucca, a herb containing the agent saponin, has actions similar to cortisone, but without all the undesirable side effects. The liquid yucca is the best.

Allergies --Don't treat the symptoms, find the cures.

A dog with allergies should not just be treated with steroids and antihistamines. These both just cover up the real problem and provide temporarily relief for the dog. Instead find the cause of the allergy.

Generally dogs #1 cause of allergies is something in the food. The top food allergens for dogs are:

Beef and Beef By Products
Milk
Yeast and yeast products
Corn
Pork
Turkey
Eggs
Fish wheat and soy

If these products can be eliminated from their diet, many dogs will be cured from their allergies.

Another of the most frequent allergies in animals is to flea bites. Fleas inject saliva into their host whenever they feed. This saliva is an allergen, and over time, as animals are bitten many times, they can develop an allergic reaction. Fleas have other bothersome and harmful effects, so during flea season, still continue to use non-toxic flea products to rid your pet and home of fleas. --See the Flea Control section for more information.

The holistic approach to allergies is to strengthen and desensitize the animal's own immune system so that it no longer overreacts to allergens, such as pollen or flea bites. This involves nutritional, emotional, and medical support. Put your dog on a more natural and healthy diet, keep him clean and flea free, boost his immune system with some of the following herbs and use some of the natural rinses found below.

For a dog with constant itchy skin make a lemon rinse. Use some lemon peels or lemons in a gallon of water. Let it sit for 24 hours. Sponge the mixture on you dog.

Vitamin C in therapeutic doses can act as an antihistamine. It is also felt that the bioflavanoids
help in boosting the immune system work well with vitamin C.

Yucca has cortisone properties without all the nasty side effects. It acts as an anti-inflammatory,
which removes the itch and swelling. Yucca Intensive, a yucca tincture, works fast in the dogs
system, and is used at one drop per 10 pounds of the dogs body weight.

Flax Seed Oil --Essential oils are necessary for good health of your pets skin and coat, and for immune boosting. Flax seed oil is best purchased at a good health food store, and can be found in the refrigerated section. Always keep it refrigerated at home as well. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.

Tea tree oil is excellent to use as a rinse after bathing. Mix one half teaspoon to a pint of water, rinse with it, and leave on. It is made from the melaluca tree, and besides being a natural skin softener, it has antibacterial and anti-yeast properties.

Enzymes helps break down and digest the food faster, and pancreatic enzymes help in breaking down the proteins in the diet, which reduces the risk of allergic reactions. Digest Zyme is a good blend of enzymes, including the pancreatic enzyme, and is easy to add to the diet.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and can have anti-inflammatory properties. It is also good to use topically for minor skin irritations.

Biotin, aB vitamin helps fight allergies, and can be found in eggs or by a pill supplement.

Quercitin-C is a bioflavanoid that helps boost the immune system.

Alfalfa is high in chlorophyll, and help to alkalize the body and detoxify the system. It is also a good source of some enzymes.

A good herbal shampoo and conditioner made of oatmeal, eucalyptus and aloe vera is great for allergies and hypersensitive skin.

Feed a healthful diet with good vitamin/mineral supplement along with food enzymes, acidophilus, garlic and Omega-3 and -6.

Supply fresh distilled or purified water. Adding 1/2 teaspoon of chlorophyll per pint of water is also of value.


To draw toxins out of the body, give your pet Epsom salt soaks (1/2 cup salts per gallon of water) for 15 minutes and rinse.

You can utilize convenient acupressure points located where the atlas bone makes a noticeable bump right behind and below each ear. Massage the points, using your left hand, whenever you notice your pet scratching. In addition to improving the immune system, this usually relieves the itching after several minutes of stimulation.

Injured Paws

If your dog is favoring a paw, check for split, cut,tender or sore looking pads. If the pad is damaged try applying Bag Balm.

If the concrete or assault is hot to the touch, then it is hot for you dog to walk on also.

Mix Tea Tree Oil, one half teaspoon per pint of distilled water to help heal scrapes and minor cuts

Cleaning Ears

To prevent infections, keep your dogs ears clean. I check my dogs ears daily and clean with a solution of 50/50 water and vinegar. I use a cotton ball (soaked with solution) to remove as much gunk out as possible and then switch to a q-tip (soaked with solution-careful not to get 'inside' the ear canal) to remove the remaining gunk.

Mix Tea Tree Oil, one half teaspoon per pint of distilled water to clean ears during a yeast infection

Administering Medicine To Your Dog

For Liquid medications.....Use a syringe (without a needle), fill with medication and squirt into the back side of the dogs mouth.

For pills....Disquise the pill inside of liver, Roll Over or whatever soft type of food your dog loves.

For pills....Place pill at the back of your dogs throat, close the mouth, hold it shut with one hand and massage the throat with the other hand. Let go when the dog swallows the pill.

Herbs for Dogs

This is a list of a few herbs, and some of their suggested uses for dogs.

Alfalfa - useful for it's high content of amino acids, good for digestive upsets, high in calcium and helps build strength and vitality

Aloe Vera Gel - excellent for burns, scrapes and hotspots, skin softener, and taken diluted internally is an excellent source of enzymes

Burdock - great as a cleanser and detoxifier used in powder or tincture, this herb is also high in iron, can also help in skin diseases

Calendula - an excellent herb, made from marigolds, and in tincture form is great for minor wounds and skin irritations.

Camomile - used as a tea, brew and give a dropperful to calm a dog, or drink the tea yourself for a better sleep! Also helps with digestion.

Dandelion - I often add this to my dogs herbal powder mix in the spring, as a blood purifier and immune boosting agent. This is a good liver stimulant.

Golden Seal and Echinacea - this herbal combination has many uses. In tincture form, it can be used 5 days for an immune booster, and I have had wonderful results when used for kennel cough. The powder is also good for cuts and scrapes, and both ways can help a run down condition, or while recovering from an illness

Kelp - while more of a seaweed, this herb is a source for selenium, amino acids and contains iodine. It is speculated to enhance color in the dogs coat and eye color, but has not been proven.

Milk Thistle (silymarin) - found in powder or tincture, and made from the seeds of milk thistle, this is one of the best liver strengtheners. It can help with liver disorders and lowers fat deposits in the liver.

Red Clover - often said as being useful in cancers and treating tumors. The blossoms are the parts used in tinctures and powders.

Red Raspberry Leaf - this herb is used in dogs as a prenatal care for pregnant females to help tone and prepare the uterus, and to help regulate cycles. It is used in a ground or leafy preparation. It is high in Powdered Vitamin C with Bioflavanoids , and has speculated benefits in preventing miscarriage and speeding delivery.

Saw Palmetto - used for urinary incontinence, and help in enlarged prostate gland. Often this herb is found in preparations mixed with pumpkin seed, which is a good source of zinc.

Slippery Elm - great as a powder, mixed with water for stomach upsets in puppies, and older dogs. It helps with both vomiting and nausea.

Yucca - this herb has a natural anti-inflammatory action, and is found in both powder and tincture. I have personally found the tincture to be a bit more effective. I have used this in dogs with hip dysplasia, and irritable bowel syndrome with good success.

Another good remedy is Tea Tree Oil , which is made from the Melaluca tree, and is classified as an oil. It is a natural antibacterial and anti-fungal, and also contains D-Limonine, which repels fleas. It is NOT to be used full strength, but diluted with water (at about one half teaspoon per pint of distilled water) or mixed one third tea tree oil to two thirds mineral oil for application to the ear or around the dogs face. Some toy breeds cannot tolerate tea tree oil in any form, so I do not recommend it for toy breeds. I've also heard it help with ring worm, but not sure how. Do NOT put in your dogs eyes, or mouth.

Penis Discharge

Some penis discharge is normal and just needs clean occasionally. Most dogs do enjoy this too.....LOL

Douche with warm water and pulling the skin back to clean out any debris.

Mix some medicated douche powder with warm water and douche the penis as well as cleaning any debris found there.

Pull the foreskin back and remove any debris and clean the area with a good antibacterial soap, like Dial, rinse well and then apply an antibiotic salve to the area.

Diarrhea

To get diarrhea under control, the following have been said to get rid of diarrhea, if there is nothing serious wrong causing it.

Add a little bit of corn starch to food

Feed puppies regular baby rice cereal

Feed boiled and drained hamburger meat with rice

Add canned pure pumpkin to food. Just a tablespoon or so will do it.

Kaopectate is safe for puppies and adult dogs.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Coming Soon.......

Appetite Stimulant

Vitamin B is said to stimulate appetite. It is said to stimulate cell metabolism and as a result stimulate appetite.

Ticks

Ticks can be removed from your dog by using an eye dropper full of rubbing alcohol dropped onto tick.

They can also be removed by using a lit cigarette and burning them off. Personally this sounds too risky of a method to use on my dog.

Shampoo's

A good herbal shampoo and conditioner made of oatmeal, eucalyptus and aloe vera is great for allergies and hypersensitive skin.

For white Bulldogs use Quic Silver.Get them sparkling clean and has a sunscreen in it too! Get it from a horse shop, it is used for show horses

Putting Weight On A Dog

Add Macaroni and Cheese to the dogs food.

Feed dogs 'Fat Balls'.

Stop Stool Eating

There are many commercial products on the market that you add to the dogs food. It makes the dogs stool undesirable to them..

A more natural approach is to add about a tablespoon of canned pure pumpkin to the dogs food. The dogs love the taste of the pumpkin added to their food, but no longer like the taste of stools.

Flatulences

These might help lessen the passing of gas.

Try prozyme and/or Conklin's Fastrack. These products are designed to add digestive enzymes and good bacteria to the animals digestive tract; therefore getting to the root of the problem.

The best methods for treating this upset in pets (and humans alike) is by administering Acidophilus, which helps maintain the balance of the friendly bacterias. Acidophilus supplements (gel-caps) can purchased at a drug store. Give 1 - 2 capsules per 25 lbs of body weight.

Adding plain yogurt to your dogs food might also help, as it is a good source of Acidophilus'.

Take soy out of the dogs diet

And stop feeding them Bulldogs so much chili beans!...LOL

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